Editorial
Address worries of teenage girls to avoid unintended pregnancies
Peer pressure, social or familial pressures, and restricted access to and understanding about contraception are some of the issues that teenage girls deal with which can lead to unwanted pregnancies.
Additionally important are socioeconomic issues like poverty and a lack of educational opportunity. Some girls may also be subjected to sexual violence or coercion, which can result in pregnancy.
Despite the fact that teenage girls are vulnerable and lack correct information on these topics some parents are not prepared to teach their teenagers about sexual health, contraception, and the dangers of getting pregnant too young.
Teenage pregnancy is more likely when there is a lack of parental direction and social pressure to be married.
Additionally, some cultures may have conventions that glamorise adolescent motherhood or prohibit candid conversations about sex and contraception. Even in cases where information is available these teenage girls may encounter obstacles in obtaining and affording contraception.
Unfortunately, some youth have low self-esteem, which can lead to risky behaviours or a failure to prioritise their future academic or professional aspirations, increasing their risk of unplanned pregnancies.
The Spectator therefore agrees with Ms. Helen Korkor Quarcoo, the Chief Superintendent of Prisons (CSP) and Head of the Commercial Unit at the Senior Correctional Centre in Accra, that for teenage girls to feel safe, their parents must love and care for them without conditions.
She made the call in an interview at a recent conference on “Access to Agency: Empowering women through digital inclusion” in Accra,
The Senior Officer said that the majority of adolescent pregnancies are typically caused by emotional difficulties that lead to teenage girls seeking out affection and love outside of their homes. Teenage pregnancy may be a traumatizing reaction to emotional deprivation, with severe physical and psychological effects on the girl child.
“Some of these teenage children living in the villages and remote areas who are not loved at home usually get brainwashed by false love from some irresponsible area boys/men who later impregnate them and run away,” she said.
Since teenage girls may seek affection, attention, or validation through relationships that could result in teenage pregnancies, parents must make sure they pay attention to their emotional needs.
It is worthy to note that every adolescent girl has different obstacles to overcome so parents, especially fathers must help them develop a sense of self-worth in order to boost their emotions of worthlessness.
Teenage girls require committed resources, education, and supportive services to help them deal with these difficult situations.
The recent floods in Accra and the neighbouring areas, which were brought on by a heavy downpour, were very catastrophic and caused loss of lives and property damage.
Similar severe flooding and downpours were also reported in other regions, which has caused anxiety and dread whenever it rains.
In a short period of time, the floods had a dangerous effect on entire communities and landscapes. Because of this, a lot of people are now temporarily putting up with friends or family members.
Videos that went viral on social media showed cars and other valuables being swept away by the floodwaters with little to nothing being done to stop them.
Certain organisations, including the New Times Corporation (NTC), publishers of The Ghanaian Times and The Spectator, were not spared because the flood level damaged important documents and swamped their premises.
Even locations outside of flood-prone zones were inundated by the floods.
The rains would intensify along with thunderstorms, according to the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet), which is tasked with observing, analysing, and disseminating weather and climate information to protect lives, promote economic planning, and maintain public safety.
It is important to remember that increased evaporation and atmospheric moisture due to climate change might intensify rainfall. Furthermore, more catastrophic floods are caused by heavy rainfall and shifting topography.
We discussed the causes of floods and mitigation strategies in our earlier editorial, “Accra floods necessitate change in attitude.”
Although the current flood situation is dire, safety can be greatly improved by being ready and understanding what to do.
The Spectator encourages the public to make an effort to be well-informed about weather predictions and take the required precautions to stay safe because the GMet is now providing accurate forecasts.
Make excellent use of the alert services that you can sign up for these days to get notifications on your phone.
Water, non-perishable food, a flashlight, batteries, prescription drugs, crucial documents in waterproof containers, and first aid supplies should all be prepared and kept readily available.
Safeguard your house and offices, relocate valuables to higher floors, and raise electrical appliances off the ground.
Avoid coming into contact with floodwater whenever you can since it might be tainted with chemicals, sewage, and other dangerous substances and also reptiles.
To make sure your neighbours are secure, it is crucial to check on them, especially if they are elderly, disabled, or living alone.
Additionally, parents need to make sure their children do not play in or close to floodwaters.
Let us be careful as there are floods everywhere.
Dear Editor,
I wish to plead with the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) to dispatch personnel to some of the flash points when it rains.
What happened last Monday and Tuesday at major transport terminals must not be something that must be repeated.
I wish to first of all commend the Interior Minister, Mr Muntaka Mubarak for the swift intervention by announcing the ‘holiday’ that gave workers and school children a relief.
It was such a tough moment for workers driving and those not driving. The situation at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange and other transport terminals forced workers to walk long distances.
Apart from the lack of public transport, pedestrians had to navigate through mud, making it difficult to move around.
I believe that with the presence of police personnel, the traffic situation can be well managed to ease the huge traffic congestion to make travelling a lot easier.
Frank Amoah,
Kasoa
