Youth urged to embrace reproductive health education

Kumasi, June 28, GNA - Mr. Ebenezer Antwi Amankwaah, Focal Person for Adolescent Health at the Ashanti Regional Reproductive and Child Health Unit, of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has tasked the youth to embrace comprehensive sexuality education.

He said it was in the interest of the youth to avail themselves of such education in order to be empowered with the relevant knowledge, attitudes, values and skills needed to make informed decisions about their sexual health.

Mr Amankwaa described as ‘precarious’ how the contemporary younger generations relate to sexual health issues, saying that, they ought to be aided in dealing with conflicting messages and norms.

The Focal Person, who was addressing a day’s capacity-building workshop at Ahensan, in Kumasi, pointed out that, the lack of accurate information and skills by young people had compelled many to make irreversible mistakes concerning their sexual lives.

He hinted that complications of pregnancy and delivery were the main causes of deaths for girls aged 15 to 19, adding that, the maternal mortality rates for this group “are twice as high as the rates for women in their 20s.”

“Girls aged 14 or younger are five times more likely to die from pregnancy complications. Their babies are also less likely to survive,” he disclosed.

The workshop was organized by the NYA, with sponsorship from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and designed to empower District Officers of the Authority on comprehensive sexuality education, as well as sexual and reproductive health.   

Mr. George Orwell Amponsah, the Regional Director of NYA, asked the participants to strive to put into practice the lessons learnt at the programme.

He said the workshop was part of measures to build the capacity of the Officers on the mission of the UNFPA in order to engender support for its programmes.

It was also to enable them to coordinate effectively, activities of civil society organizations committed to sexual and reproductive health issues in their respective districts.

GNA

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