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VR records 6,139 teenage pregnancies
One-hundred-and sixty-five girls between 10 and 14 years got pregnant in the Volta Region last year.
Out of this figure, 23 were recorded in the Akatsi South District, 21 in the Ketu North Municipality while Ho and Ketu South Municipalities recorded 14 cases each.
Also, 5,974 teenagers within the age group of 15 and 19 got pregnant during the same period.
This brings the total number of underage and teenage pregnancies in the region in 2020 to 6,139.
Out of the total figure, 774 were recorded in the Ketu South Municipality, followed by South Tongu District with 466 cases and then Keta Municipality with 464 cases.
The municipalities of Ketu North and Hohoe recorded 444 and 440 cases respectively while North Tongu District also recorded 414 cases.
Madam Florence Gyaase-Nketiah, Deputy Volta Regional Director of Nursing (Public Health) made the startling revelation to The Spectator at Ho on Tuesday.
She said that the Akatsi North District recorded 94 cases which was the least number of the pregnancies.
According to her, the health authorities in the region were working vigorously with the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, and the United Nations Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency, UNFPA to curb the trend significantly.
The Deputy Director of Nursing entreated parents to talk openly with their children on sexuality, saying the “world is changing and so are the body development stages of our children.”
She expressed concern over the usual silence on the identities of the men who impregnated under-aged girls in the communities and called on all and sundry to help to expose the perpetrators for the appropriate action to be taken against them.
She again said that the 6,139 cases of underage and teenage pregnancies were among the 45,411 antenatal registrations in the region last year.
Still on the underage and teenage pregnancy figures, the Adaklu and Afadzato South Districts recorded 121 and 117 respectively, while Akatsi South recorded 392 cases, with 273 of such pregnancies occurring in the Anloga District and 300 in the Ho West District.
The rest are Kpando Municipality, 309; North Dayi District, 137; South Dayi, 302 and Agotime Ziope 181.
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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