Teenage pregnancy on the increase at Senya-Beraku

Senya-Beraku (C/R), April 12, GNA - The authorities of the Senya-Beraku Health Centre have expressed concern about the alarming rate of teenage pregnancy in the area and therefore, appealed to parents and guardians to help resolve the problem.

The midwife in-charge of the centre, Madam Juliana Sackey, who disclosed this to newsmen at Senya-Beraku on Friday said that between January and March this year, 18 teenage school girls, including a class five pupil and a 12-year old girl had delivered at the centre.

She suggested to the government to give a limit to the number of children women can deliver free of charge at the country's hospitals, clinics and health centres to discourage them from giving frequent births.

Meanwhile some of the teenage mothers in an interview blamed their parents for their plight, claiming that their parents did not cater for them, compelling them to accept proposal to be "girl friend by boys" which resulted in their premature motherhood lives.

Mr. Kweku Asagiri, a fisherman, said that most of the people in the town are fishermen and for the past few years fishermen in the area have not been landing with enough catch, making it impossible to honour their responsibility as fathers.

He said that the land too is not good for farming because of poor rainfall pattern saying that between January and April there had been only one downpour.

Mr. Asagiri further attributed the continued drift of fishermen and children in Senya and surrounding villages to Yeji and Cote d'Ivoire because this precarious situation in which the people find themselves. He appealed to the government for direct financial assistance to the people, particularly the fishermen instead of channelling future financial support to them through the district assembly.