Cynthia Mamle Morrison
Cynthia Mamle Morrison, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), has expressed concern about the spate of teenage pregnancy in the Central Tongu District of the Volta Region and called for stiffer punishment for the men.
Reports from the Ghana Health Service for 2016 and 2017 indicated that teenage pregnancies in the district increased from 490 to 522.
The Minister, who was unhappy with the figures, asked parents not to see the development as fashionable and called for strict laws to deter perpetrators.
She made the call when she presented medical equipment and supplies worth over GHC50,000 to Mafi-Dove Health Centre in the Central Tongu District funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
In an interview with Ghana News Agency (GNA), Ms Morrison said she had tasked the District Chief Executive and Member of Parliament of the area to lead the fight against teenage pregnancy and ensure that girls remain in school.
She also asked the community leaders, teachers and nurses to be actively involved in the fight and advised teenage mothers to take advantage of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy and go back to school.
Speaking at the ceremony, Thomas Moore Zonyrah, District Chief Executive (DCE) of Central Tongu, said teenage pregnancy puts the life of the teenage mother and the baby at risk and called for a concerted effort to address the problem.
“We need a concerted effort to stop teenage pregnancy. Central Tongu is rated among the worst situations in the region. Let’s work together and stop it,” he added.
GNA