Participants Call for Punitive Action against Adults who Abuse Adolescents

Participants at a one-day youth forum in Kenyasi in the Asutifi North District of the Brong Ahafo Region have called for stringent punishment for adult men who lure innocent girls to have sex with them.

They also called for regulation to moderate the airing of telenovelas and adverts of alcoholic beverages in the media to stem its negative influence on the youth and the establishment of a youth development fund.

These views were expressed at a day’s youth forum organised by the Asutifi North Chapter of the National Youth Authority (NYA). It was on the theme “Financing Youth development in Asutifi North: Roadmap to success,” in Kenyasi.

In an address, the District Chief Executive (DCE), Hon. Eric Addae emphasized efforts made by the assembly and other stakeholders to construct a Youth development Centre (YDC) to enable the youth harness and develop their potentials in the area.

“The assembly has secured 100 acres of land, drawings and designs complete and therefore the sod will be cut for construction soon”, he added.

He called parents and community leaders to stand up in the fight against teenage pregnancies to justify the resources that the various stakeholders to be committing to finance the project.

Hon. Addae tasked parents to invest in the education of their children as guarantee for productive human resource for the country’s development.

The District Nutrition Officer of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Mr. Moroguy Samuel on his part cautioned the youth against teenage pregnancies and urged them to rather concentrate on building a better future for themselves.

He lamented health institutions in the district continue to record high figures of teenage pregnancy, a situation he described as worrying and detrimental development of the area and advised parents to take sex education of their wards serious to equip them with the necessary information.

Mr. Bernard Oppong of the Ghana Education Service (GES) Asutifi South for his part blamed the problems of the youth on lack of parental guidance, peer influence, wrong foreign cultures, poverty and lack of job opportunities and therefore called on stakeholder to brainstorm to initiate interventions to aid the youth in their development.

He advised young girls to associate with good friends, avoid flattering words from men and choose to better their lots through education and discipline.

The District Coordinator of NYA, Mr. Hafiz Dauda in his welcome address said the initiative is to empower the youth especially girls to live healthy and responsible life, reduce teenage pregnancies and promote access to family planning services.

He hinted of the establishment of a Youth Development Fund (YDF) to address the challenges of the youth in the area and called for support from stakeholders.

The Ghana Adolescent Reproductive Health Programme (GHARH) is funded by the UK Government, DfID with support from Government of Ghana and implemented by various partners since 2014.