Parents urged to give girls attention to prevent teenage pregnancy

Mr. Adam Azabre Abugbila, the Northern Zone Project Coordinator of Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana, has called on parents and guardians to give their adolescent girls the needed attention to prevent teenage pregnancy and child marriage in the country.

He said, "Statistics available at the Ghana Health Service reveal that between 2016 - 2020, Northern Region recorded an estimated 43,533 cases of teenage pregnancies."

Mr. Abugbila indicated that "The acceleration of various digital platforms for learning by the adolescent girl requires extra vigilance from parents to ensure that those platforms do not become detrimental to their holistic growth."

He made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tamale.

He noted that parents needed to step up their monitoring and supervisory roles over their children to help address teenage pregnancies and their effects on the socio-economic development of the country.

He said when children did not receive the needed care and attention from their parents, they turn to seek support from their peers, which could adversely influence their growth leading to poor choices.

He emphasised that "Most parents have left the upbringing of their wards to social media and other peer groups resulting in teenage pregnancies, drug abuse, and violence."

He advised parents to prioritize the welfare of their children by paying attention to their needs, adding "Adolescent girls need to feel safe and secure when discussing issues about sex with their parents, to help them receive proper guidance and counselling."

He called for more stakeholders' engagement to come up with measures to address the situation.