Mr Martin Anyoka, the Girls empowerment programme Officer of the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) in Upper East Region, has reiterated the call for confidentiality in the provision of sexual and reproductive health services (SRHs) to adolescents.
He said that would help curtail teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases among the youth.
Mr Anyoka said unfriendly approach to health services at any health facility and service provision points could be deterrent to clients and scare the youth away from seeking information and advice on their sexual life.
The girls’ empowerment programme officer said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga in response to the low patronage of young girls for SRH Services and the increasing teenage pregnancy challenge in the region.
He said the attitude and unfriendly behaviour of service providers was a contributory factor to the challenge and indicated that as part of his outfit’s effort to build confidence in adolescents, a programme dubbed, ‘Know your Nurse, know your client,’ had been drawn up, where adolescent girls were taken on visit to health facilities to promote SRH Services.
It was also for them to familiarize themselves with service providers to know the services available for them.
Such visits would also give the young people the opportunity to seek clarification on their sexuality.
Mr Anyoka explained that the programme had started to increase the interest of the youth and build their confidence.
The girls’ empowerment programme, he said, was also designed to help adolescent girls make informed decisions about their sexuality and their future, which they would be able to carry out through breaking the silence forum, where community members and opinion leaders would be engaged to counsel the youth.
Other interventions that the PPAG implemented included the provision of skill based short term trainings, to enable adolescent girls to earn income to take care of their needs instead of depending on men.
According to him, with support from the UNFPA, ‘a return to school’ intervention for girls who after giving birth, want to go back to school, was being carried out with girls given books, uniform, bags, among others.
Source: Ghana News Agency
