By Seraphine Nyuiemedi
The Volta Regional Director for the Department of Gender, Thywill Eyra Kpe has urged young people especially, girls to pursue their education with all seriousness to contribute their quota to nation building. She also encouraged them to aspire to take leadership positions in their fields of study to be role models. Mrs Kpe who was speaking in Ho, at a three-day mentorship and empowerment programme for school children advised them that education is the surest way through which they can achieve their goals.
The three-day mentorship and empowerment programme which was organised by the Volta Regional office of the Department of Gender with funding from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was participated by 60 adolescent girls drawn from 6 selected districts in the Volta/Oti Regions. It was aimed at empowering the young ones as peer educators and advocates on issues of Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), child marriage, adolescent sexual and reproductive health, career guidance and assertiveness among others. The Volta Regional Director for the Department of Gender, Thywill Eyra Kpe said such issues are quite difficult for young ones to openly discuss with adults, hence the programme to train them to be advocates in their various schools and communities.
“Issues of Sexual and gender-based violence, adolescent sexual and reproductive health are quite difficult for them to discuss with adults openly and so our strategy is to give these ones the accurate knowledge, skills, and understanding on these issues so that we place them strategically within their schools to be advocates and talk to their friends when they are confronted with these issues”.
Touching on the recent call by the National Population Council for the children’s Act to be amended to change the age of sexual consent from 16 to 18 and the marriage age from 18 to 20, Mrs Kpe said the focus must be on early sex implications rather than changing the legislation.
“Personally, I believe that our advocacy should focus on the implications of early sex rather than legislating the body of the children. Our advocacy must focus on developing good religious values in the children in such a way that even at the current age of 16 years, they will not find reasons to go into sex”.
Head of Public Affairs Unit at the Volta Regional Police Command, Supt. Efia Tenge, Paramount Queen Mother of Alavanyo Traditional Area, Mamaga Ametor Hoebuadzu, Acting Medical Superintendent of Ho Polyclinic, Dr. Iris Dzifa Adzah, Assistant State Attorney at the Attorney General’s Office in Ho, Lawyer Dina D. Amefinu and a Lawyer and Gender advocate, Hillary Gbedemah were among dignitaries who mentored the participants by sharing their career experiences with them.
The 2022 Adolescent Mentorship and Empowerment programme was on the theme: rekindling the fight against adolescent pregnancy and SGBV; girls, take action now!
