Accra, June 16,GNA – The Centre for Community Studies Action and Development (CENCOSAD) on Wednesday organised a workshop for Girls with disabilities in Accra to empower them with information on their sexual and reproductive health rights.
The workshop which was organized with support from the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) and the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR), created an avenue for 25 out-of- school adolescent girls with disabilities in the Asiedu Keteke sub-metro to be linked to SRHR services in thier communities.
The workshop is part of CENCOSAD’s Adolescents Girls Project aimed at improving adolescents’ access to adolescent-friendly health information and services.
It is targeted at out-of-school marginalized adolescents, particularly girls with disabilities and their families and to ensure that they are empowered with information to expect more, demand more and exercise their rights on sexual and reproductive health.
The project also seeks to ensure that adolescents take responsibility of their health for better health outcomes.
Participants of the workshop were educated on the Gender Equality and justice systems in Ghana and the causes and risk factors of Sexual and Gender Basesd Violence (SGBV).
Mr Micheal Aggrey, Project Coordinator, CENCOSAD, said girls with disabilities face discrimination creating barriers that leads to lower economic and social status.
“Girls living with disabilities face increased risk of sexual violence and abuse, have limited to access education, health care, including sexual and reproductive health ,information and services, and justice as well as civic and political participation, “ he said.
This, according to him, hinders their participation on an equal with others.
In Ghana, adolescents girls expecially those with a form of disability are at risk of early initiation of sex, unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, early childbearing, sexually transmitted diseases.
Madam Juliet Enyonam Agbali, an Adolescent health focal person at the Usher Poly clinic, also educated the girls on the need to and how to take charge of their reproductive health care.
Source: Ghana News Agency
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