Parents urged to guide girls through adolescence

Sunyani (B/A), Aug. 17, GNA - A Public Health Nurse has stressed the need for parents, especially mothers, to guide the girl-child during its adolescent age to enable her be abreast with the development of menstrual and other stages relating to womanhood.

Mrs Grace Yeboah Asiamah, Head of Public Health Unit of the Brong-Ahafo Regional Hospital, also urged parents to restrict their female children and wards from attending night programmes in order not to expose them to dangers such as sexual temptations from men.

Mrs Asiamah was addressing about 60 girls from selected educational institutions in the Sunyani Municipality at a two-day workshop on adolescent reproductive health for virgins in Sunyani on Tuesday. It was organised by a Sunyani-based '6th March Women Foundation', a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), under the theme: "Virgins - Our hope and future".

Mrs Asiamah said there was the need for children to understand their bodies while growing to help them know how to respond to their feelings.

She bemoaned the upsurge of cases relating to youth drug abuse and cautioned such young people to shun unproductive behaviour. Mrs Elizabeth Frimpong, Executive Secretary of the Foundation, advised parents to provide counselling as a way to ensure proper character building and development of their children.