Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, has urged parents to stop placing underage girls on family planning contraceptives, describing the practice as a sign of irresponsible parenting and a failure of parental guidance.
Speaking at the Yilo Krobo Future Leaders Conference and Workshop, Mrs. Awatey argued that the solution to teenage pregnancy among minors is not the early introduction of contraceptives but proper parenting, discipline, and moral upbringing.
“Family planning at an early age for the girl child is not the solution. I would not advise any parent to take that path,” she stated.
The Minister expressed concern over reports that some girls as young as Class Six pupils are being placed on contraceptives with the knowledge and consent of their parents.
“If a child in Class Six is on family planning, why are you introducing contraception to that child at that age? When teachers follow up, some parents say they are aware. That should not be the solution,” she said.
Mrs. Awatey stressed that parents have a responsibility to instill discipline and good values in their children from an early age, citing the biblical injunction to “train up a child in the way he should go.”
According to her, excessive pampering and neglect of parental responsibilities are contributing to indiscipline among young people.
She maintained that many successful leaders and professionals became role models because they were raised under firm parental guidance and discipline.
“You see a lot of role models around today. Their parents never left them the way we are leaving our children. We have to take responsibility as parents,” she added.
The Eastern Regional Minister called on parents, teachers, religious leaders, and community stakeholders to work together to provide proper guidance for children rather than relying on contraceptives as a means of addressing risky sexual behaviour among minors.
Despite a decline in adolescent pregnancy rates from 13.1 percent in 2019 to 5.9 percent in 2023, the Eastern region region registered 25,285 teenage pregnancies within two years, including 669 girls aged 10 to 14.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
