The Department of Gender in the Ashanti Region has raised concern over the increasing incidence of teenage pregnancy among adolescents in the region.  

It has therefore stressed the need to intensify efforts to protect young people and promote their sexual and reproductive health.  

According to the Department said, this requires a sustained collaboration among parents, schools, communities, health professionals, government agencies and development partners to address the factors contributing to teenage pregnancy and related challenges among adolescents.  

The concern was raised during a series of sensitisation workshops organised by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council.  

The workshops, which brought together young people and adults from selected districts and municipalities, aimed at strengthening adolescent-friendly health services, improving access to sexual and reproductive health information and services, and promoting the sexual and reproductive health rights of young people.  

Participants were drawn from Adansi Asokwa, New Edubiase, Sekyere Central, Kwadaso, Asokore Mampong, Atwima Nwabiagya South and the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly.  

The Ashanti Regional Head of the Department of Gender, Madam Ama Nyanta Boateng, speaking at the workshop, urged parents and guardians to report cases of rape involving their children to the police and allow the law to take its course.  

She cautioned parents against settling such cases privately or compromising with alleged perpetrators, saying such practices could deny victims of justice and expose other children to sexual abuse.  

Madam Boateng stressed the need for parents to take allegations of sexual abuse seriously and ensure that victims received the necessary protection, counselling and support.  

She also urged communities to strengthen their vigilance and reporting mechanisms to protect children and adolescents from sexual exploitation and other forms of abuse.  

The Ashanti Regional Director of the National Population Council, Madam Mercy Adomah Besseah, expressed concern about the sexual and reproductive health challenges confronting young people.  

She said a recent report from the Ghana AIDS Commission indicated that the Ashanti Region had recorded the second-highest number of HIV/AIDS cases among young people in the country.  

Madam Besseah described the development as worrying, stressing that young people constituted an important part of the country’s future workforce.  

She, therefore, called for urgent and sustained interventions to prevent new HIV infections and reduce teenage pregnancy among adolescents.  

According to her, providing young people with accurate information, appropriate counselling and access to adolescent-friendly health services would help them make informed decisions concerning their sexual and reproductive health.  

She encouraged young people to take advantage of available health and counselling services and to seek professional guidance whenever they faced challenges relating to their sexual and reproductive health.  

The workshop also provided participants with an opportunity to discuss the causes and consequences of teenage pregnancy, sexual abuse, HIV and other reproductive health concerns affecting adolescents.  

Some participants said the programme had equipped them with useful knowledge about sexual and reproductive health and the importance of making responsible decisions.  

They expressed optimism that the knowledge acquired would enable them to educate their peers and contribute to efforts to reduce teenage pregnancy and other health-related challenges among young people in their respective communities.