Esi scales up fight against teenage pregnancy

Esi Pempamsie1
Esi (middle) was joined by Nana Amba Eyiaba (R) for the outreach programme

Reigning queen of Ghana’s Most Beautiful Esi has advised parents to be responsible in training their children to lead good lives.

She observed that the rate of teenage pregnancy, among other vices, is on the ascendancy because parents are shirking their responsibilities.

“They behave like the children gave birth to them,” Esi real name Vera Oheneba Safoah said on the sidelines of the Community Outreach Programme by her foundation, Pempamsie Foundation.

The event was held as part of activities to mark the beginning of the Oguaa Fetu Afahye.

Speaking to Onua FM’s Kwame Karkarba on Thursday, September 1, Esi, who hails from the Central Region, advised children to be obedient to their parents.

She said she is on course in her fight against teenage pregnancy, hoping to cover about 70 per cent of her target by the end on her tenure.

Deputy Regional Coordinator of the Domestic Violence and Victims’ Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service DSP Hilda Akarimanga disclosed that cases of fathers sexually abusing their girl children have been most recorded.

She therefore called for more outreach programmes to arrest the situation.

Acting Regional Director of the Gender Department Thywill Eyra Kpe was worried teenage pregnancy is inhibiting girl-child education in the Central Region.

She said statistics show that teenage pregnancy increased from 13 per cent in 2008 to 14 per cent in 2014.

She said the Region recorded 21.4 per cent, a figure far above the national figure with Cape Coast Central and Ewim sub-Metro recording more than half of that figure.

The outreach programme saw the inauguration Sister Clubs by Esi’s Pempamsie Foundation.

Nana Amba Eyiaba Konteahen of the Oguaa Traditional Council and a Patron of the Foundation charged members of the Club to be ambassadors in educating their peers to resist child marriage.

Source: 3news.com|Ghana

Twitter: @3News

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