The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) is implementing a programme to promote adolescent health, gender equality and the provision of gender-based violence (GBV).
Central to the programme is stakeholder engagement which provides a platform for dialogue, collaboration and coordinated action in addressing adolescent pregnancy, family planning and harmful social practices that affect young people, especially girls and underserved youth.
Under the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) Eighth Country Programme (2023-2027), the initiative aims to strengthen collaboration among key community and institutional stakeholders in promoting adolescent health, gender equality and the prevention of gender-based violence.
Specific objectives
Three specific objectives of the programme include to create safe spaces for dialogue on adolescent sexual and reproductive health, GBV and gender equality, to provide platforms for interaction between communities and healthcare providers such as midwives and community health nurses and to promote discussions against norms and practices that negatively affect adolescent health and perpetrate gender-based violence.
In a presentation, the Fanteakwa North District representative of World Vision, Beatrice Siaw-Yeboah, called on society to see children not only as a moral responsibility but also as the foundation of sustainable development and the guarantee of a just and prosperous future.
She said protecting them was not merely a social obligation, but a legal and policy imperative enshrined in our national frameworks and in international instruments such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
Consequences
‘’Children do not simply represent our future.
They are the present. When we fail to protect them, their suffering has immediate and long-term consequences for families, communities and our national development.
Strengthening referral pathways of child protection cases between communities and formal facilities is not just best practice, it is essential to fulfil our legal, moral and developmental commitments.’’ Mrs Siaw-Yeboah stated.
She spoke among other things on referral pathways for child protection cases between communities and facilities, the importance of referral pathways, why strengthening referral pathways matters, timelines and effectiveness of response, comprehensive and holistic care, equity and access, accountability and trust.
She noted with concern that resource constraints such as transport, funding, communication and staffing were a common barrier, saying ‘’even when referral protocols exist, many families cannot act on referrals due to distance, cost or lack of awareness’’.
In Ghana, she added, studies have shown that rural residents often could not honour referrals, especially to tertiary hospitals because of financial or transport challenges’’.
Respectful relationship
The Fanteakwa North District Deputy Commander of Ghana Police Service, ASP Dora Nortsu, whose presentation was on preventing gender-based violence and promoting respectful relationship, mentioned cultural norms, power imbalance, lack of education, low awareness of gender equality and substance abuse as some of the causes of gender violence.
ASP Nortsu stressed on education, community engagement, counselling and not hiding abuse as some of the measures to prevent gender-based violence in our communities and the country at large.
The Fanteakwa North District Director for NCCE, Cynthia Essel, earlier in her welcome statement stressed on the fact that the essence of the programme for NCCE which is constitutionally mandated to educate the citizenry was to empower communities and the youth for adolescent health among others.
She emphasised the importance of empowering stakeholders with the necessary skills to make informed and responsible decisions concerning sexual and reproductive health.
