The Akyem Krodua Chief, Berima Kwame Anim II, has expressed worried about the increasing rate of teenage pregnancy among the youth in the community.
This development according to the chief is as a result of indiscipline among the youth and the failure of the traditional authorities within the area to institute measures to check the behavoiur of the youth.
Speaking to the media at this year’s Ohum Festival and the installation of a new Ga chief in the town, the chief of Akyem Krodua, Berima Kwame Anim II, said the rate of teenage pregnancy in the town has reached an alarming proportion which needs immediate intervention to stop the canker.
Berima Anim said “as I speak to you, I can mention at least eight children in this town who are pregnant and whose age would not exceed 15 years old.”
“As elders of this town, we need to act fast to avert the situation before it gets out of hand and I am praying that whiles the elders of this town have taken their seats today Wednesday July 21, 2021, and by Friday we have to take a drastic decision to set up a taskforce to check this matter,” he stated.
He said the duty of the taskforce if constituted would ensure that children who would be seen in town after 8:00 p.m. would be cautioned and disciplined.
“Now we have an eleven and half old girls who are pregnant, others are 12, 13, 14 and 15-year-olds and the oldest I can say is only 16 years.” He lamented
The chief said, the strange thing is that those boys who impregnate the girls are also within their age group who rely on their parents for chop money but have impregnated girls and it is a worrisome development in the town.
“In our next meeting we will set up a taskforce to ensure that after 8pm all children who walk in town, would have to answer some questions because in this town there are laws. We are going to buy canes and ensure and instill discipline in the town to reduce the menace.” He added
The newly installed Ga chief, Nii Kwei I, pledged his support to ensure that the issue of teenage pregnancy becomes a thing of the past.
Statistics from Ghana Health Service show that a total number of 25, 285 teenage girls got pregnant in the Eastern Region in 2014 and 2015.
The statistics further stated that 669 of these teenage mothers were age between 13 to 15.
The latex figure indicates little over 10,000 teenagers got pregnant in 2018 in the region which is marginal reduction compared to previous years.
