Anafobisi wins teenage pregnancy debate

The Feo and Anafobisi Yole Young and Wise girls' club at the weekend engaged in a debate to help outline the root cause of teenage pregnancy in their communities.

The debate, organised by Planned Parenthood Association Ghana (PPAG) as part of efforts to reduce teenage pregnancies, was on the topic "Adolescents, and not Parents should be blamed for teenage pregnancy."

The Feo Yole Young and Wise girls' club being the opponents to the topic, was represented by Mary Atiah, Portia Apusiga and Rosemary Akurigo.

The team in their argument said some poor parents push their wards into sleeping with men for money and gifts to help them cater for their families.

They argued that even though peer pressure and lust were some factors that caused adolescents to accept the need to sleep with men, they held that some parents shy away from talking to their wards on their reproductive health.

They said the inability of parents to teach their adolescent girls the proper health concerns made teenage girls tend to listen to friends and end up getting influenced by bad companies.

The group blamed parents for being irresponsible and adamant towards the needs and demands of their wards.

Representing the Anafobisi Yole Young and wise club, Emmanuella Akolgo, Mary Azubire and Belinda Agandaa argued for the topic.

They debunked the notion that parents were the root cause of teenage pregnancies.

The Anafobisi debaters said that indiscipline on the part of children was the cause of teenage pregnancy, adding that the desire to possess material things led some teenagers into early sex.

The group expressed concern the rate at which teenagers easily got influenced by the use of the internet, adding that many teenagers tend to practice what they see on the internet.

Naaba Anyenaaba Azaare, the chief of Feo community, in his remarks described the competition as a laudable programme that would help educate teenagers. Naaba Azaare called on parents to play their roles effectively in the upbringing of their wards.

He cautioned adolescent girls to take precautions to avoid early pregnancy and STIs if they could not abstain from early sex.

The Anafobisi Yole Young and Wise club emerged winners of the competition with 58 points and were presented an award.