Central Regional Youth Programmes Officer for the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana [PPAG], Michael Tagoe has called on the media to resuscitate campaigns on sex education as a measure to reduce teenage pregnancy among the youth.
He revealed that media campaigns on teenage pregnancy is a means of promoting sex education and reinforcing messages of abstinence.
Micheal Tagoe however stated that such, campaigns declined over the years.
“Back in the day, there were adverts like ‘akoda wo ko hen’ amongst other informative and educative ad campaigns.
Unfortunately, these adverts have ceased in the media space and there is the need to revive them. These adverts reinforced messages that will come from their parents, teachers, Pastors and Imams.
He further revealed that, “the Ghana Health Service, (GHS) Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) reproductive health campaigns like the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana, are doing their best in terms of reaching out to people through education and information, however, the media needs to buttress some of these messages to register in their minds and I believe that will also help in reducing teenage pregnancy.”
Data from the Ghana Health Service [GHS] District Health Information Management System has shown that Ghana recorded about 110,000 cases of teenage pregnancy in 2020 of which 107,023 were girls between 15 to 19 years while 2,856 of the girls were between 10 to14 years.
By Belinda Baaba Baidoo
