Young Voices representing Ghana’s future have called on the government to immediately implement the reproductive health education RHE national guidelines to provide comprehensive Reproductive health education for all young people in the country.
Presenting their demands in a petition addressed to the president of the Republic, the ‘young voices of change’ want the Ghana Health Service to also institute policies and measures to ensure that all health workers act more professional towards young people that access their facilities for sexual reproductive health services
The communique was issued and read at the end of the four-day Northern Ghana Sexual reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) – Norgha conference 2023, held in Tamale for over 400 youth selected from all corners of the north including persons with disabilities.
Norsaac, an advocacy NGO, organized the conference with partners including Oxfam, Power to Youth, UNFPA and UNICEF among others. The conference was the theme: “the future of adolescent girls and young women in Ghana; the threat of social norms and the confusion in policy on SRHR.”
The young voices among others in their communique demanded that the government ensure prompt action on all reported sexual harassment and exploitation cases such as rape, defilement. The communique said these acts should be dealt by the domestic violence and victim support unit, of the police service, as the law stipulates alongside the need for creating safe spaces for victims and survivors.
Earlier during the closing ceremony, the Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Shani Alhassan Shaibu in a speech read for him, noted that “HIV/ Aids, Teenage pregnancies and prevalence of sexual and gender based violence particularly against women and girls remain scar on our collection conscience.”
According to the minister these were pressing issues beckoning collective attention, adding that government on its part remained dedicated to fostering robust collaboration between NGOs in SRHR and government agencies by facilitating and supporting these collaborations. Additionally, universal access to health care including SRHR will be improved.
Alhaji Shaibu commended organization such as Norsaac that are helping to correct the situation through advocacies and interventions at the grassroots. He pleaded that the conference should be made an annual tradition that extends invites to all 55 districts of the north.
The Executive Director of Norsaac, Mohamed Awal Alhassan in his closing remarks entreated the attendees to go out and be agents of change especially having been empowered to do so. He expressed disappointment with the increasing numbers of gender based violence so regrettably receive slow actions such as prosecution which in a way looks like the perpetrators are being celebrated.
Mr. Awal encouraged young girls and women in particular not to be powerless, but should still report abuse cases to responsible agencies and society should also help by exposing the perpetrators.
First female SRC president of the UDS, Miss Hussein Rukaya, who chaired the closing ceremony equally, tasked the attendees to be inspired by their new exposures and networks by returning to their communities as aspirations for their peers.
Some of the participants at the conferences commended the organizer for the platform given them and promised to lead the process of transforming their communities.
Story By: Nelson Adenuti Nyadror |www.diamondfmonline.com |Ghana.
