147 girls fell pregnant from January to March 2024 in the Upper West Region, precisely Wa-East.
According to the acting district director of Ghana Health Service in Wa East, Mr. Stephen Sunkari, the health directorate has recorded about 147 teenage pregnancies from January to March 2024.
In an interview with Pulung News, Sunkari revealed that in 2021, the district’s percentage of all pregnancies registered was 15.9%. In 2022, the percentage dropped to 13.7%, and in 2023, it fell to 13.2%.
However, in the first quarter of 2024, from January to March, 147 adolescent pregnancies were recorded.The acting district director stated that 143 of the girls were between the ages of 15 and 19, while four of them were between the ages of 10 and 14.
Stephen Sunkari also touched on the possible reasons behind the rising rate of adolescent pregnancies in the district and blamed poverty and night jams.
Mr. Sunkari emphasized that, authorities in Wa east need to take into consideration how small girls are given out for marriage.
Additionally, he urges opinion leaders to report any violations of children’s rights to the appropriate offices so that the culprits can be dealt with..“Our traditional authorities need to step in” he said.
