Executive Director of Child Rights International, Bright Appiah says community acceptance of teenage pregnancy in some coastal areas is making it difficult to tackle the issue.
Speaking to Isaac Addae on Morning Starr on Starr FM, Bright said teenage pregnancy has become normalised in some communities, making parents and residents reluctant to report cases for action to be taken.
He said research conducted by Child Rights International along the coastal belt from Prampram to Takoradi established that teenage pregnancy remains high in the area.
According to him, the situation is particularly concerning because some communities have come to view pregnancy as an expectation for girls once they reach a certain age.
“When you move to, especially when you take the Prampram area up to Jamestown to Gomoa area, it’s an acceptance. It’s something that they feel like if you get to a certain age, like 13, and you don’t have a child, your own peers begin to look at you from different perspectives,” he said.
Bright explained that such social expectations can create pressure on young girls to become pregnant, while the wider community may not necessarily see the practice as something that requires intervention.
He said this has also affected the willingness of parents and communities to report cases, making it difficult for authorities to take action.
He noted that there are instances where parents report cases to the police and seek prosecution, but such cases are relatively rare.
“There are rare cases where it happens and when it does, it’s not really a matter of a teenage pregnancy but just a matter of maybe you have defiled a child and all that,” he said.
Bright stressed that communities must recognise teenage pregnancy as a serious issue before meaningful action can be taken to address it.
“Changing these social attitudes will require deliberate policy interventions that encourage communities and families to report cases and support efforts to reduce teenage pregnancy”. He said.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh/Pamela Quayson
