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The queen mother (Omanhemaa) of the Agogo traditional council, Nana Juaben Afrakoma Serwaa Kusi Obuadum, has proposed that there is the need to reintroduce a curfew system where children, especially girl- children will be compelled to sleep on time to avoid frequent teenage pregnancy. Expressing worry over the frequent rate at which most of the young girls of today get pregnant and contract HIV/AIDS, the queen mother opined that there was a need for everyone to get involved in the fight against the canker that is currently dominating the region. She suggested that a curfew should be placed on young people between the ages of 9 and 18 so that they may be controlled well to ensure their safety for a brighter future. The queen mother disclosed this during an open discussion on "Capacity Building For Queenmothers" over how they may be able to lead their societies to fight the menace of teenage pregnancy and early child marriages. The program which was themed, "Recognising Traditional Leaders, Especially Queen Mothers, as strong Influencers and critical partners in CUBE CONVOS Facilitation" as part of the Girl Child's week celebration, mainly centred the discussion on how to stop or reduce teenage pregnancy and its subsequent marriages. The program, which was powered by the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF), saw many queen mothers, king's and other stakeholders registering their presence at the Anita Hotel in Kumasi. Currently, the Ashanti region is leading in terms of teenage pregnancy across the country. The worried queen mother, who blamed part of the canker on the adoption of foreign culture, said the punishment of someone's daughter, which has now become a thing of the past, also plays a major part in the challenge we are facing today. She also lamented over how the term 'human right abuse" has now criminalised the punishment of a child, where she indicated that it was high time we forgo such terms and concentrate on the positive upbringing of our children. Adding her voice, Nana Serwaa Nyarko, queen mother of Mankranso Bronikrom, also suggested that mothers or guardians of such children, especially girl children who defy orders and choose teenage pregnancy and early marriages, be made to face severe punishment. According to her, she and her elders within her community had started implementing such rules and it was working perfectly for her. With this suggestion, she believes that mothers within the other communities who leave their children astray will be compelled to take good care of their wards to avoid this teenage pregnancy and early child marriages.
The queen mother (Omanhemaa) of the Agogo traditional council, Nana Juaben Afrakoma Serwaa Kusi Obuadum, has proposed that there is the need to reintroduce a curfew system where children, especially girl- children will be compelled to sleep on time to avoid frequent teenage pregnancy. Expressing worry over the frequent rate at which most of the young girls of today get pregnant and contract HIV/AIDS, the queen mother opined that there was a need for everyone to get involved in the fight against the canker that is currently dominating the region. She suggested that a curfew should be placed on young people between the ages of 9 and 18 so that they may be controlled well to ensure their safety for a brighter future. The queen mother disclosed this during an open discussion on "Capacity Building For Queenmothers" over how they may be able to lead their societies to fight the menace of teenage pregnancy and early child marriages. The program which was themed, "Recognising Traditional Leaders, Especially Queen Mothers, as strong Influencers and critical partners in CUBE CONVOS Facilitation" as part of the Girl Child's week celebration, mainly centred the discussion on how to stop or reduce teenage pregnancy and its subsequent marriages. The program, which was powered by the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF), saw many queen mothers, king's and other stakeholders registering their presence at the Anita Hotel in Kumasi. Currently, the Ashanti region is leading in terms of teenage pregnancy across the country. The worried queen mother, who blamed part of the canker on the adoption of foreign culture, said the punishment of someone's daughter, which has now become a thing of the past, also plays a major part in the challenge we are facing today. She also lamented over how the term 'human right abuse" has now criminalised the punishment of a child, where she indicated that it was high time we forgo such terms and concentrate on the positive upbringing of our children. Adding her voice, Nana Serwaa Nyarko, queen mother of Mankranso Bronikrom, also suggested that mothers or guardians of such children, especially girl children who defy orders and choose teenage pregnancy and early marriages, be made to face severe punishment. According to her, she and her elders within her community had started implementing such rules and it was working perfectly for her. With this suggestion, she believes that mothers within the other communities who leave their children astray will be compelled to take good care of their wards to avoid this teenage pregnancy and early child marriages.
