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Sexual demands in exchange for support —plight of adolescent girls
Some girls in three regions have lamented over the demand for sex by men in exchange for help, a situation that often results in teenage pregnancies.
The concern was raised during a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)-led consultations with more than 200 adolescents out of which 80 per cent were girls.
The consultations, done in partnership with government, created safe spaces for girls between the ages of 10 and 19 to share their challenges and aspirations, and proposed solutions.
Participants were drawn from Wa, Kumasi and Tema, covering the Upper West, Ashanti and Greater Accra regions.
Seventeen-year-old Faustina, one of the participants, spoke about the harsh reality many girls face.
“The men who support us often demand sex in return, which leads to pregnancies. Some of us are willing to work, but there are very few opportunities available. If we had access to jobs, we would gladly take them so that we can move away from this harmful lifestyle,” she revealed.
The initiative forms part of Ghana’s national priorities for adolescent girls’ well-being and aligns with the broader West and Central Africa agenda to secure a brighter future for girls.
UNICEF Ghana’s Adolescent and Gender Lead, Irene Tumwebaze, said the perspectives shared will guide programmes in health, education, child protection, climate resilience, digital inclusion, mental health, and life skills.
“When we listen to adolescent girls and boys, we gain an unfiltered understanding of their realities and aspirations,” she explained. “These consultations are not just about listening; they are about action. The voices of adolescents, particularly girls, will help shape policies and programmes that invest in their potential, advance gender equality, and ensure a brighter future for all,” she added.
She asserted that the engagements highlighted the urgent need to place adolescent girls at the centre of decision-making processes, ensuring their voices and leadership influence policies that directly affect their lives.
UNICEF and its partners, Madam Tumwebaze emphasised, have pledged to continue translating these insights into concrete action by strengthening programmes that empower adolescent girls and provide them with the opportunities needed to thrive.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
The forecourt of the African University of Communications and Business (AUCB) in Accra came alive on Friday with colour, creativity and innovation, as Level 300 students transformed the space into a lively exhibition of ideas.
Under the theme “Building meaningful brands beyond the logo,” the students invited patrons into a world where ordinary products were reimagined through storytelling, design and purpose.
From scented candles to innovative food concepts, each stand told a unique story, one that went beyond aesthetics to capture identity, value and human connection.
For many of the students, the event was more than just an academic exercise; it was a moment to dream out loud.
Guided by their lecturer, Peter Wonders, they explored what it truly means to build a brand in today’s competitive world where trust, consistency and experience matter just as much as logos and slogans.
Chairman of the occasion, Nana Kum Gyata VI, in his remarks said a brand is what people say about you when you are not present.
At the end of the presentations, awards were presented to deserving groups with Vida Nyaneba emerging as the overall best branding student.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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The Senior Correctional Centre (SCC) has initiated a lecture session to broaden the horizon of level 400 students at the Social Work Department of the University of Ghana (UG).
The initiative is under the auspices of the Counselling Unit and OIC of the Station, in consultation with the University.
The inaugural lecture delved into education of Social Work students about the role of Ghana Prisons Service and its core mandates, while emphasising the need for counseling as a psychological intervention for inmates mental health and well-being.
It also gave clearer insights about what was required of them in contributing their quota to creating awareness about the Service’s reformational agenda.
The session forms part of the ‘Think Prisons 360 degrees’ initiative, a collaborative efforts of the SCC Counseling Unit to conscientise the final year students of their roles as future social workers.
ASP Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah, a Public Relation Personnel highlighted on the core roles of the Service which include the welfare of inmates, safe custody of inmates, reformation and rehabilitation of inmates, respectively.
Discussing the ‘Think Prisons 360 degree’ agenda birthed by the Director General of the service, DGP Patience Baffoe-Bonnie Esq, Mr Ankrah enumerated the five core pillars of the initiative which include welfare of inmates and staff, agriculture mechanisation, industrialisation, wealth creation and strategic relations.
DSP Belinda Adjei-Attah, Head of SCC Counselling Unit schooled the final year students about the role of counseling as a pivotal reformational tool in the service with the tendency to enhance inmates’ psychological needs.
DSP Adjei-Attah further highlighted how Prison Officers and social workers could work together to reduce recidivism.
DSP Eugene Ansu Ohene-Tutu, a Counseling Personnel at SCC further elaborated on the role of social workers in aiding psychosocial interventions, expanding support systems and bringing in-house psychiatrists to help circumnavigate inmates’ mental health.
Dr Abena Oforiwa Ampomah, Lecturer at the Department commended the Senior Officers for their time with the final year students and commended the Officer-In-Charge of SCC, DDP Yayra Ashong Mettle, for releasing the officers to make such a memorable lecture.
By Spectator Reporter
