‘Use virgin clubs to curb teenage pregnancy’
Teenage pregnancy is a nagging problem that has persisted in parts of the country for ages and raises concern for all, especially traditional leaders in the various communities in the country.
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A lot of education and sensitisation programmes by non-governmental organisations and state institutions are ongoing in various basic schools and communities to support the fight against the problem.
For the newly installed Women’s Development Queen of Abutia Teti, in the Ho West District of the Volta Region, Mama Dunenyo IV, the best way to fight the menace is to involve the teenagers themselves through the establishment of virgin clubs.
According to her, studies have shown that teenagers are very concerned about their reproductive health and want to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
Misinformation on sex
However, due to lack of education, most teenagers are misinformed about the dangers involved in premarital sex and, therefore, face challenges when it comes to the issue of sex.
The women’s leader, who has a duty to bring development to the women and ensure their proper welfare in the Abutia Traditional Area, said she would institute the virgin clubs where teenage girls and boys would be educated on the dangers of premarital sex.
Through these clubs, with incentives such as scholarships, the teenagers will pledge to abstain from sex and focus on their education till they become mature.
With this project, she hopes to have over 80 per cent of the youth in Abutia practising abstinence and called on other communities to do same.
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The queenmother, who is a police officer stationed at the Arms and Ammunition Office in Accra, and known in private life as Chief Inspector Mabel Asempapa-Afari, said, “Our children must be taught to be disciplined and value their own life.
“Without a disciplined youth, it would be difficult for our communities to develop because instead of focusing on their books, they would be making babies that they cannot take care of because they are unemployed”.
Societal problems
While educating the youth, she said she would ensure that irresponsible men who would try to thwart this effort by defiling and impregnating girls were brought to book because “we want to bring change in our community and, therefore, will not condone crime”.
Mama Dunenyo said the development of a community depended more on its youth and the women, therefore apart from fighting teenage pregnancy, she would solicit assistance to establish a cassava processing factory and market to create jobs for the people, especially the women, who were mostly cassava farmers.
“With reduction of poverty, most parents would be able to educate their children to reduce the illiteracy rate which was a contributory factor to societal problems including teenage pregnancy,” she indicated.