A Development Practitioner who is also the Director of Turning Point Development Consult (TPDC), Sumaila Saaka wants more attention on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (ASRHR) issues in the media space.
Mr. Saaka who lauded the Ghanaian media said they have played a critical role in highlighting issues of adolescent health, but much needs to be done.
“Teenage pregnancy is a problem in the Upper East region and many parts of Northern Ghana. Unsafe abortion is also a problem. These days many adolescents are into drug abuse particularly in our schools and communities and drug-taking can influence their sexual behavior and that leads them to the consequences like teenage pregnancy, STIs which can lead to infertility. So I think these are the issues that I want the media to highlight”
The development Consultant who said this during a media engagement organized by the Youth Harvest Foundation Ghana entreated the media to hold duty bearers accountable to ensure that policies and laws on adolescent and reproductive health are implemented.
“We have very good policies and laws in this country as far as adolescent reproductive issues are concern, but, do we have the political will to implement them. The media has a duty to hold our duty bearers accountable to implement such policies and laws. Also, our socio-cultural practices that are imbibed in our everyday life, we need to highlight the issues”, he stated.
The day sensitization workshop which brought together media practitioners from the Upper East region and the North East region was geared towards equipping the media personnel on the requisite knowledge needed in supporting the advocacy efforts on various adolescent health issues for promoting socio-economic development, reducing poverty towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah
