Editorial
Support girls to accept menstruation with dignity
Last Tuesday was World Menstrual Hygiene Day, a Day to raise awareness of menstruation, eliminate the stigma attached to it, and take action toward a shared objective.
Organisations and groups celebrated the Day, which is observed on May 28 every year, by congregating at different locations across the nation.
The subject of this year’s celebration was “Together for a period friendly world.”
The programmes have been informative, opened girls’ eyes, and expanded their understanding of menstrual hygiene because of the attention, making the Day’s celebration relevant and educational.
During the national commemoration at the Odorgonno Senior High School in Accra, First Lady Samira Bawumia gave 5,000 packages of sanitary pads to be given to girls attending schools under the Ga Central Municipal Assembly.
She emphasised the necessity for group action in order to promote menstrual health and guarantee that inexpensive, sustainable menstruation products are available to all,
According to reports, millions of schoolgirls lack access to menstruation products, proper facilities for menstrual health, and accurate knowledge about menstruation, thus her request is appropriate.
Despite the fact that menstruation is a natural part of life, most girls experience shame during their periods because of the stigma associated with it. This limits their mobility to the point that some miss days of school.
Increasing knowledge is important because it helps young girls, in particular, accept and appreciate their menstruation as a natural part of growing up.
In addition to government initiatives, organisations, individuals, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) must provide sanitary pads to schools.
To make menstruation pads affordable, the government must remove the tax component entirely. Teenage girls should always have access to their parents so they can learn about menstruation and self-care throughout their periods.
Girls need our combined efforts to be encouraged to accept their menstruation with dignity
Editorial
Parents urged to take responsibility for sex education
Dr. Francis Wuobar, a Gynaecologist at the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua has urged parents to take the lead in providing sex education to their children, stressing that they were in the best position to guide them through the changes of adolescence.
According to him, sex education remained a taboo subject in most Ghanaian homes, a culture that must change to prevent children from seeking misleading information elsewhere.
“With the evolving nature of society and technological advancements, today’s children will either learn about sex on the internet or from their peers, who may offer wrong advice,” he cautioned.
Dr. Wuobar noted that the health system and society often concentrate on the reproductive stage of life, neglecting the adolescent and menopausal phases.
“When a woman reaches the reproductive period and gets pregnant, everyone rallies around her. But before that stage, during adolescence, there is little attention and guidance, which has contributed to the rising cases of teenage pregnancy,” he explained.
He observed that many adolescents lack access to counseling and adolescent clinics, creating a vacuum that forces them to explore on their own.
“The answers they seek, adults and parents are not willing to provide. Their peers, who are equally uninformed, become their only source of advice. This exploration is one of the major contributors to teenage pregnancy,” he said.
Dr. Wuobar therefore called on parents to create open and confidential spaces for discussion, where children can freely ask questions about sex, puberty, and relationships.
He emphasized that parents must help adolescents understand the consequences of unprotected sex, the changes they go through, and what choices were right or wrong.
“Today’s generation is curious and asks questions, unlike in the past when children were silent. Parents should not rebuke them but rather engage them seriously and guide them through this turbulent stage,” he advised.
He further appealed to the health sector to establish more adolescent clinics across the country to give young people safe spaces to seek information and counseling.
That, he said, would help reduce the high incidence of teenage pregnancy and support adolescents in making informed decisions about their sexual health.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
Editorial
Addressing unhealthy conditions at Akropong Mandela Market
Dear Editor,
The Akropong Mandela Market, a vibrant centre of commerce, has been in a terrible state for over a decade now.
Central to the problem is a public toilet located near the market, which has become a breeding ground for diseases and a source of discomfort for both food vendors and customers.
This toilet, utilised by everyone in the town, is positioned too close to the market, severely affecting the vendors who spend long hours selling their goods.
They are constantly exposed to unsanitary conditions mixed with foul odours emanating from the facility.
Agnes, a vendor at the market is sad about the apparent lack of concern from those responsible for maintaining the toilet. Despite collecting user fees, there seems to be little effort to keep the facility clean and hygienic.
The situation at the Akropong Mandela Market highlights the urgent need for effective waste management and sanitation infrastructure in public spaces.
Authorities must take immediate action to ensure the facility is regularly maintained and cleaned. Vendors and customers deserve a safe and healthy environment to conduct their daily activities.
In the meantime, the vendors are urging local government officials to intervene and find a lasting solution to this problem.
Only through collective action can the health and well-being of both vendors and customers be safeguarded to restore the Akropong Mandela Market to its former glory as a thriving commercial hub.
Addo Sarah Ansah Student,
UNIMAC–IJ(BACS26275)
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