By Jerry Azanduna, GNA
Techiman, (Bono East) July 08, GNA-Stakeholders in Bono East Region have called for national discourse to address the existing policy gaps, and breaking barriers hindering an effective reproductive health education in schools.
That, they say, will greatly curb the growing sexual abuses and exploitations in schools as well as tackle Gender-based and Sexual Violence at the community levels.
According to them, reproductive health education ought to be allowed in schools and to enlighten and empower the youth to understand and protect their sexual rights and dignity.
The stakeholders comprised representatives from the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), Ghana Education Service (GES), Ghana Health Service (GHS), faith-based organisations, traditional authorities and civil society organisations.
Others were also drawn from adolescent health corners as well as the Department of Gender and the Complimentary Education Agency.
They made the call at a roundtable organised by the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR), a non-government organisation, at Techiman, the regional capital and.
The dialogue offered a common platform for the stakeholders to devise possible strategies and to address hindrances as well as scale-up reproductive health education in schools and also tackle Gender-based violence in the communities.
Discussions were mostly centered on how to close policy and curriculum gaps that did not allow direct reproductive health education among the youth.
The stakeholders also discussed possibilities of training educators to sensitize learners and the youth on their sexual rights and dignity and to control sexual misconduct as well as protecting them against HIV and AIDS.
After extensive discussions, the stakeholders underscored the need to promote counseling services, improve reproductive health in schools, as well as promote religious tolerance on adolescent health, reproductive education and rights.
They called for effective collaboration between the GHS and the GES for the establishment of adolescent corners in Senior High Schools to educate students on reproductive health rights.
An outcome of group work highlighted the need to revise school health policies, strengthen legal and policy frameworks as well as intensify public education on youth reproductive health rights and dignity at the community levels.
They also called for effective collaboration between the traditional authorities and the communities as well as the establishment of Domestic Violence Corners to hear and address the concerns of victims.
Earlier, Nana Oye Gyimah, the Communications Officer at ARHR, highlighted the importance of the dialogue and expressed concern about the inaccessibility of comprehensive and age-appropriate reproductive health information in the country.
She noted that many adolescent people lacked information about their reproductive health, calling for the need to break misconceptions, stigma, and cultural norms that hindered adolescents from accessing such information.
Nana Gyimah said it was unfortunate that some families, caregivers, and community and opinion leaders continue to limit discussions around reproductive health education.
At the same time, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) remains a major concern that affects the health, well-being, and the holistic development of women, girls, and the vulnerable populations
.
She added that policies and frameworks like National Reproductive Health Service Policy and Standards, the Adolescent Health Service Policy and Strategy as well as the Domestic Violence Act, 2007 (Act 732), existed to address those challenges.
However, Nana Gyimah called for stronger engagement between policymakers, civil society actors and organizations as well as service providers, youth groups, and stakeholders to identify and address some implementation gaps.
She said offering the opportunity for the dialogue could greatly strengthen accountability, improve coordination, and generate evidence-based recommendations for policy action.
Nana Gyimah said the dialogue was being held in the Bono East and Oti Regions to help break barriers and address existing gaps.
GNA
Edited by Dennis Peprah/Benjamin Mensah
