Poor parenting a major contributor to teenage pregnancy cases in Upper East – FAWE
In addition to poor parenting, he cited social gatherings, exposure to inappropriate media content, and the actions of some irresponsible adults as contributing factors to teenage pregnancies.
A senior field officer at the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Ghana, Emmanuel Gazari, has identified poor parenting as a major contributor to the increasing rate of teenage pregnancies in the Upper East Region.
Speaking on the Big Mike Breakfast Show on Thursday, July 3, Gazari expressed concern over what he described as a growing disconnect between parents and their adolescent children, which he believes is fueling the worrying trend.
“There is a gap in the way parents handle their adolescent children,” he noted. “You have some of these parents who are bent on making all the money under the sun and don’t care about what happens to their teenagers.”
Gazari further lamented the lack of parental presence and guidance, saying, “You see a father coming back from somewhere and he doesn’t even care about the whereabouts of his children. Some of them even care more about their animals than their own children.”
In addition to poor parenting, he cited social gatherings, exposure to inappropriate media content, and the actions of some irresponsible adults as contributing factors to teenage pregnancies.
Gazari stressed that when parents neglect their roles, especially in supervising and nurturing adolescent girls, they leave them vulnerable to behaviors that result in early pregnancies.
Addressing concerns about whether the Ghana Education Service (GES) policy on pregnant schoolgirls has encouraged the phenomenon, Gazari defended the policy, explaining that it is aimed at safeguarding the rights of affected girls to continue their education.
“This is the policy document,” he explained. “It says ‘Guidelines for the Prevention of Pregnancy among School Girls and Facilitation of Re-entry into School after Childbirth.”
“So, the policy first aims to prevent pregnancy, but in the event a girl becomes pregnant, it facilitates her return to school after childbirth.”
He added that the policy includes a provision that allows girls who can cope with pregnancy while in school to remain in class, ensuring they do not fall behind in their education.
FAWE Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organization, continues to advocate for stronger parental engagement, community involvement, and policy implementation to address the root causes of teenage pregnancy and support the education of young girls.
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