Sexual Reproductive Health Should Be A Priority


A human right crusader and the CEO of Global Media Foundation, Raphael Godlove Ahenu Jr. has observed that addressing young people’s and adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender equality is key to achieving sustainable development.

He has therefore recommended to Governments particularly Ghana Government to ensure that all young people and adolescents have access to comprehensive sexuality education, to enable their informed choices.

Mr. Ahenu was speaking at community forum at Asukese to engage with opinion, traditional and religious leaders and community members on the rights of women to access safe and legal abortion services in the Tano North in the Brong-Ahafo region.

It was organisaed by Global Media Foundation, human rights media advocacy organisation with support from SAAF.

The forum forms part of activities to mark this year’s international Day of Action for Women’s Health on the theme: “Fulfill Women’s Right to Health, Dignity and Bodily Integrity- End Violence Against Women in All its Forms”

According to him, young people and adolescents, particularly girls, need to be empowered and meaningfully engaged in the decision-making processes that affect their lives.

The CEO said the brain behind the community forum was to increase public awareness of the adolescent health issues and mobilize the citizens to join the campaign.

The campaign focuses on four grave cases of Institutional violence: The denial of access to safe and legal abortion services; Forced and coerced sterilizations; Obstetric Violence and the denial of access to contraceptives and emergency contraception.

Mr Ahenu said all of these are issues commonly neglected and often normalized and endorsed by States

May 28 Campaign was first established in 1987 by women’s rights activists at the IV International Women’s Health Meeting in Costa Rica, as a means to speak out on SRHR issues faced by women and girls all over the world.

The Assembly Member for area, Isaac Yeboah bemoaned about the district assemblies inability to allocate funds to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights activities at the local level.

He stressed the need for CSOs to advocate for the assemblies to provide adequate budget for srhr programmes.


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