Editorial
Changing the narrative of sex through sex education
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Let’s make sex education compulsory
Dear Editor,
In Ghanaian society, issues relating to sex are not often talked about in our homes: Just, the mention of sex then you will see mama looking sternly at you. In some societies the mention of it is a taboo, but the question is if these issues are not addressed by our own parents, then who should we run to, to make informed decisions on sexual matters. Is it when the girl-child is being influenced by peers to practise it as a form of satisfying her curiosity? Or when the boy-child under the influence of friends practises it to show how manly he is?
This is a million-dollar question begging for an answer. According to research, comprehensive sex education, (which emphasises the benefits of abstinence while also teaching about contraceptives and disease-prevention methods) has been proven to reduce teen pregnancy and STD infection. Thus, sex education explores values and beliefs about those topics and helps people gain the skills that are needed to navigate relationships with self, partners, community and manage one’s own sexual health and to create awareness of its consequences of unwanted pregnancy, early parenting and others if not done safely.
Sex education highlights hygiene issues. It becomes more important for young people to keep their bodies clean at puberty. Comprehensive sexual education provides essential information about how people can maintain their hygiene. Since not all parents can instruct their children on these methods and may be embarrassing to talk about these issues with children. Sex education helps young people to understand what is normal. Adolescents do face a hard time when hitting puberty. They often take certain things as abnormal. Sex education helps them to understand that their body is changing physically.
In an interview with Mrs Helena Dickson, a Counsellor and Midwife with Pentecost Hospital at Tarkwa in the Western Region, she states that “not only does sex education have to be introduced at the early stage in adolescent life but its abstinence, too. She explained further that, at that stage they were so eager to engage in boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with the aim of knowing and feeling what sex entailed and this occurred because of the hormonal change in adolescents. Adolescents need to be educated about the consequences of sex so they don’t become pregnant”.
She added that this education would alert the young girls to be extra careful in their lives and slow down the eagerness to feel for sex. The education will let them know that these feelings they sometimes experience are normal but it behoves on them to control themselves not to fall into temptation.
She concluded that diversional therapy like playing football, ampe, ludo, oware and others could be introduced when they felt for sex.
In conclusion, sex education is an important aspect in every adolescent life, so parents should be open for discussion when issues about sex are introduced by their wards. It should be made a subject in the secondary school just as physical education.
Alice Mensah
Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ)
Dear Editor,
I want to use this platform to create awareness on the growing safety challenge at some of our beaches, particularly the lack of adequate safety measures to prevent accidents.
Beaches are important recreational spaces that also contribute significantly to Ghana’s tourism industry. However, many beaches lack trained lifeguards, emergency equipment and proper supervision.
During weekends, holidays and sometimes weekdays, families visit these beaches to have fun and some, for relaxing, yet the necessary safety measures are often inadequate.
The situation becomes even more worrying when children and inexperienced swimmers enter the water without proper guidance; it can quickly turn a day meant for enjoyment into a tragedy for families.
I urge beach operators and local authorities to strengthen safety measures at our beaches, make trained lifeguards available at busy beaches, warning signs clearly displayed and emergency responses system established.
Public education is equally important as well. Visitors must be encouraged to obey safety instructions, avoid dangerous places and remain vigilant especially when children are around.
Ghana has beautiful beaches with enormous potentials that attract both local and international tourists, but we cannot promote beach tourism effectively whiles neglecting the safety of the people who visit these places.
I hope the authorities will treat beach safety as a national priority before it cause any tragedy.
From Elvis Amoako
Teshie-Nungua.
Dear Editor,
In Ghana, it appears that the moment a prominent politician is arrested or convicted, we fail to ask of the person’s offence but rather think of the person’s political affiliation.
Taking the recent 20-year imprisonment handed to New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti regional chairman, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi has once again exposed this troubling culture.
An Accra high court convicted him on illegal-mining related charges and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. The NPP has since announced its intention to appeal the conviction.
What concerns me is not whether one belongs to the NPP or the NDC, what concern me is our growing tendency to attach a political identity to every arrest, investigation or court judgment. If an NPP member is arrested, some immediately say the NDC government is targeting the opposition. If an NDC member faces legal trouble the same argument will easily be reversed when political circumstances change.
We must ask ourselves; Are we defending justice or are we simply depending on our political colours? Political affiliation should never determine whether we believe a person deserves investigation, prosecution or a fair trial. If someone is accused of wrongdoing the proper institution must investigate, the court must determine guilt and the accused must have the right to challenge the decision through legal process.
Ghana cannot build a strong democracy if every criminal investigation becomes a political battle. Let us learn to separate politics from justice, a wrongdoing does not become right because the accused belong to your party and an accusation does not become true simply because the person belong to the opposing party.
Our loyalty should first be Ghana, the rule of the law and justice not to political colors.
From Desmond Yaw Frimpong
Pentecost University
