Paralegals trained to monitor reproductive health issues

Ada (G/A), Feb. 6, GNA - More than 320 persons have so far been trained as paralegals in nine districts to act as non-lawyers to identify and refer adolescent reproductive health issues to relevant bodies for redress.

Having gone through series of courses in reproductive health rights, they would work to sensitise communities on laws and policies affecting adolescents and identify and address problems such as rape, defilement, school drop out, and teenage pregnancy.

The programme, being jointly organised by the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) with the African Youth Alliance (AYA) is being implemented with the support of the district assemblies and traditional rulers.

Speaking at the ninth inaugural ceremony at Ada of the Dangbe East District Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Rights Paralegal Association, Nana Oye Lithur, the Project Coordinator said the associations had begun work with some districts and had so far handled as many as 30 cases.

"The Ga District Association, which was inaugurated in May, last year, has handled 30 cases so far and it has adopted an advocacy plan for twelve urban councils", she said.

Nana Lithur said the various associations would also be registered as Community Base Organisations (CBOs) to assist in HIV/AIDS and Human Rights legal literacy in their respective districts.

She said the project had commissioned a pilot study into the enforcement of Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) laws such as conviction rates and sentencing patterns for sex related offences to determine whether the laws were protecting adolescents. Nana Lithur said the paralegals would undergo further training on mediation, arbitration, and counselling to enable them to mediate in certain cases.

Quoting the 2000 census, Mr Michael Kwabla Otiboe, Retired Director of Education noted that females were more than males and that there was the need for the trainings to focus on issues affecting teenage girls. He said teenage girls were more susceptible to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, citing studies conducted, which indicated that some youth had their first sexual intercourse as early as 10 years.

Mr Otiboe said projections showed that if current rates of marriage, contraceptive use, and sexual activity continued the total number of births would increase from 620,000 in 1998 to more than one million per year by 2020.

Mr Kofi Plahar, the District Chief Executive cautioned the paralegals not to consider themselves as full-fledged lawyers but rather see themselves as people who had been equipped to render service to their communities.

He urged them to respect the traditions and norms of their communities in carrying out their work by seeking further advise when they found themselves in conflicting situations.