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Builsa South Assembly wages war against teenage pregnancies

The Builsa South District Assembly in the Upper East Region, has held its second ordinary meeting with a call on Assembly members to carefully enact new bye-laws that will help deal with the rising situation of teenage pregnancies in the area.

Date Created : 12/1/2021 12:00:00 AM : Story Author : Emmanuel Fripmpong Mensah / Ghanadistricts.com

District Chief Executives (DCE) of the area, Mr. Daniel Kwame Gariba, who made the call when delivering his sessional address at the Assembly's Second Ordinary meeting in Fumbisi, said, the situation is very dire, thus the Assembly requires to take pragmatic steps to help reverse the current trend.

He attributed the situation in the area to poverty, high rates of illiteracy and ineffective implementation of laws against teenage pregnancies and further appealed to members and other relevant stakeholders in the district to help find a lasting solution to the menace.

"As stakeholders, we need to take pragmatic measures to nib the canker in the bud. Let's pursue vigorous, sensitisation and educational programmes about the debilitating effect on early childhood pregnancy in our communities", the DCE stated.

However, touching on immediate steps being put in place to help mitigate the challenge, Mr. Gariba again noted that, the Assembly, is expected to as a matter of urgency, constitute a 'Child Panel' under the Children's Act, Act 937 of 2016 to help mediate in criminal and civil matters which concerns children especially the girl child in various communities.

He also appealed to traditional rulers and opinion leaders in various communities to desist from shielding parents who force their girl child into early marriages, insisting that it was against the laws to provide cover for such persons.

He commended the World Vision for its commitment and efforts to provide better standards of living for children in Fumbisi and its surrounding communities.

Meanwhile, reports from the Ghana Health Service (GHS) indicates that the Upper East Region alone recorded 6,533 cases of teenage pregnancies in 2020.

The figures represent one of the highest in the country.