Adolescent girls advised to reject sexual demands from boys

By Yussif Ibrahim, GNA

Abosamso Asamama (Ash), Oct. 04, GNA – Adolescent girls have been counseled to be assertive and reject all forms of persuasions to yield to sexual demands from the opposite sex.

They should love their bodies and always remember that their future is at stake in the event of an unwanted pregnancy.

Ms Faustina Osei Prempeh, Programmes Manager of Rights and Responsibilities Initiatives Ghana (RRIG), who gave the advice said their education may be truncated, when they got pregnant, but the boys responsible for the pregnancies, would continue to progress on the academic ladder.

She was speaking at an adolescent health fair organised by the RRIG in partnership with the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR) at Abosamso Asamama in the Bosome-Freho District as part of a Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programme being implemented in the District.

The programme which is being funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) seeks to provide accurate information to young people to enable them make informed decisions on their sexual and reproductive health.

Ms Prempeh said the fair was to provide a common platform for adolescent girls aged between 10 and 19 years to learn and share ideas on how to keep their bodies and stay away from sex as teenagers.

“As adolescent girls, boys are bound to chase you, but it is within your right to turn them down and focus on your education”, she told the young girls.

She entreated them not to succumb to bad influences from their peers and visit health facilities with adolescent friendly corners for professional advice on sexual and reproductive health issues.

She advised parents to draw closer to their adolescent girls and give them the needed advice, saying that, if they shirked that parental duty, their peers would fill the vacuum and lead them astray.

Mr. Kingsford Adusei, Assembly Member for Dompa Electoral Area applauded RRIG and its partners for the intervention, which he said was in line with efforts being made by the Assembly to address the increasing teenage pregnancy in the District.

He said the District held an unenviable record of having the highest prevalence rate of teenage pregnancy in the Ashanti Region – a situation that called for a broader stakeholder approach to address.

GNA

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