By Kingsley Nana Boadu
More than a thousand adolescent girls from Mfantsiman, Cape Coast, and Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem Municipalities of the Central Region have presented a petition to the Central Regional Minister to assist in ending child marriage and teenage pregnancies in the region.
The girls, who are from 20 communities, are being supported by International Needs Ghana and UNICEF under a program dubbed empowered youth in action.
Early child marriage and teenage pregnancy cases remain issues of concern in the region, though some moderate progress has been made in the fight against such practices.
The practices have lifelong consequences for the adolescents, their families, and societies.
The Central Region remains one of the regions with the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and early child marriage.
To reduce such cases, UNICEF, in partnership with International Needs Ghana, are supporting this street campaign of the empowered youth in action project to create awareness and raise voices to end child marriages, gender-based violence, violence against women and children, and harmful practices.
The girls and boys processed through some of the principal streets of Cape Coast and ended at the Central Regional Coordinating Council.
They held placards with messages urging society to help secure their future by ending child marriage, teenage pregnancies, and all other harmful practices hindering their growth and future.
A representative from International Needs Ghana, Vera Elikem, stressed some highlights of the petition.
According to her, the prevalence rate of child marriage practice in the Central Region is higher than the national prevalence rate of nineteen per cent.
Her organisation seeks to amplify the voices of the adolescents on some of the child marriage and related issues.
A representative of UNICEF, Madam Joyce Odame, indicated that UNICEF is committed to supporting young people through U-Report, a platform that empowers young people to speak out on issues that matter to them.
Some of the young girls expressed their frustration with matters of concern to them in their communities.
Aside from early child marriages, teenage pregnancies, drug abuse, lack of parental responsibility, the issue of heavy taxes on menstrual materials was also raised by the children.
They therefore pleaded with the government through the Regional Minister, to intervene since they have no control of their menstrual flows.
The petition was received by the regional Coordinating Director, Kingsley Boahen, on behalf of the Regional Minister and promised the RCC’s support in ending Early Child Marriage and Teenage pregnancy.