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