The eastern regional coordinating council: in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund, has engaged parents on adolescent sexual and reproductive health to help them guide their children through adolescence.
According to Ghana News Agency, the engagement formed part of efforts to help parents understand the challenges adolescents face and support them with the right information and guidance at home. Mr Michael Agyeman, the Eastern Regional Programme Focal Person, explained that the training was organised under the Adolescent Girls Programme (AGP), a sub-component of the UNFPA-Government of Ghana Eighth Country Programme, sponsored by the Canadian Government.
Mr Agyeman emphasized that the programme aims to empower young people, particularly adolescent girls, with essential information, education, and services to help them realize their full potential and grow into responsible adults. He noted that 120 parents participated in two separate engagements held at Akoase in the Birim North District and Nkawkaw in the Kwahu West District. The parent engagements followed earlier sessions with students, ensuring that parents could understand the discussions with adolescents and continue these conversations at home.
Mr Agyeman stated, "The idea was that, after meeting the students, we should also meet the parents and discuss the same issues with them so they can appreciate what the adolescents are going through." He added that parents are expected to discuss these issues with their children at home to help shape their future and foster their development into responsible adults.
The training was facilitated by experienced personnel from the Ghana Health Service and other institutions. Madam Edith Asiedua, a Public Health Nurse at the Eastern Regional Health Directorate, urged parents and communities to promote positive masculinity, encouraging boys and men to adopt healthy behaviors and attitudes. She highlighted that promoting positive masculinity could help prevent violence, build healthier relationships, and support peaceful living in families and communities.
Madam Asiedua also briefed parents on gender-based violence, urging them to pay attention to changes in their children's behavior, which could be signs of abuse. She emphasized the parents' role in creating safe homes, noting that children often learn behaviors and attitudes from what they observe at home. Parents were encouraged to show respect, avoid violence, and communicate openly with their children to help them develop healthy attitudes towards relationships, gender, and conflict resolution.
Additionally, Madam Asiedua introduced parents to available referral pathways for abuse cases, stressing the importance of knowing where and how to seek professional help when children experience or are at risk of violence and abuse. She identified the Ghana Education Service, the Department of Gender, Social Welfare, and the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, as well as community leaders, as key stakeholders in addressing gender-based violence.