The situation, among others, is affecting efforts aimed at fighting teenage pregnancy.

Statistics available indicated that in the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem (KEEA) municipality alone, 497 teenagers got pregnant between January and September this year.

Also, in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese district, 280 teenage girls were recorded pregnant by health facilities in the district for the first half of 2017.

Contributors at a forum on teenage pregnancy in Cape Coast last Wednesday, said teenagers were doing all including exchanging sex for fish from fishermen to sell to augment family incomes and make ends meet.

The forum was organised by the Ghana Health Service with support from the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) to empower queens to help fight the scourge of teenage pregnancy in the region.

The forum observed that poverty levels were high in fishing and rural communities, and needed urgent and workable solutions to help provide relief for the most vulnerable in these communities.

About 40 queens from the KEEA and Abura Asebu Kwamankese districts attended the one-day forum to deliberate on issues affecting young people, particularly girls for better lives.

District Director of Nursing Services for KEEA, Mrs. Juliana Armah, said some of the teenagers were dropouts from a poor background or broken homes.

“Some give sex and take fish for their aged parents to sell to augment incomes,” she said.

She said such young pregnant girls were usually anaemic and suffered complications during birth.

“Their children are also usually malnourished and they perpetuate the cycle of poverty,” she added.

She said she was optimistic that the queens would help orient the young girls to stay away from irresponsible sexual behaviours.

–

Source: Today Newspaper

The post Teenage girls trading sex for fish – Minister appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The fund which was made known by the sector minister is to help the ministry ensure protection and empower the vulnerable by achieving its objective of combating human trafficking.

Speaking at the launch of the “2017 UN Day against Trafficking in Person”, Madam Otiko Afisa Djaba also called on stakeholders to help fight human trafficking and its related activities.

According to her, the activity was lucrative for the traffickers and they will therefore be reluctant to stop the trade.

“As a lucrative business, it is currently the second largest trade in the world after drugs. It fetches billions of dollars to those involved in the trade and therefore they will do all in their power to continue the trade. Globally 60% of victims of trafficking are women, but in Africa and Ghana in particular about 70% of victims of trafficking are children.”

Madam Otiko Djaba also added that, she was also seeking cabinet approval to include victims of human trafficking or their care-takers on the LEAP program to further reduce poverty in families where the prevalence of human trafficking is highest.

“Government has taken a number of initiatives to reduce poverty which is one of the root causes of human trafficking. The LEAP program is one of such interventions that work towards supporting extreme poor households with cash grants to reduce extreme poverty. Hence to discourage families from selling off their children at a pittance for exploitation, we are seeking cabinet approval to include the victims on the LEAP.”

On his part, the Director in charge Of Operations at the Ghana Immigration Service, Chief Superintendent Samuel Basintale Amadu said the service had put enough measures in place to move the country from tier two on the UN Watch List to tier one.

“Between May to date the GIS has rescued about 146 females aged between 17 and 37. Most of these victims have already been united with their families. We also have suspects at various stages in the law court. Surveillance is now extreme at our borders and we continue to monitor the unapproved routes these traffickers are now using.”

By: Felicia Osei/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Gender Ministry intensifies fight against human trafficking appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This according to the Northern Regional Chairman of the NPP, Daniel Bugri Naabu, was a unanimous decision taken by the Northern Regional Executive Committee on Sunday.

“As I’m talking to you now, yesterday [Sunday], the regional executive committee met, and the decision was a unanimous decision. All the executives sanctioned that we should suspend her [Hajia Safia]. So she is on suspension as the Deputy Regional Women’s Organizer,” he said.

[contextly_sidebar id=”9tMMji3EiOzYPp2M0zRBx8a9bxZRBFJ5″]Bugri Naabu while speaking in an interview with Accra-based radio station, XYZ, said the Regional Executive Committee has also asked the Tamale Central and South constituency executives to do same for their Women Organizers who took part in that meeting.

“These are the people she [Otiko Djaba] ganged up with to destabilize my [Northern] region…We are also asking Tamale Central and Tamale South constituency executives to discipline the other two constituency women organizer’s in the same way,” he added.

Background

There is currently a standoff between the NPP Northern Regional Chairman and the Gender Minister, after the former truncated a meeting organized by the Minister in the region.

According to Bugri Naabu, he obstructed the meeting because it was organized illegally without the notice of the regional leadership of the party.

Unhappy over the turn of events, Otiko Djaba in a radio interview accused Bugri Naabu of handing out government jobs in exchange for items such as cows and goats.

“I want him to stop telling lies about me and to stop collecting people’s things and promising them jobs he cannot give. When he goes and does that, after he has collected their money and their cows and goats, then he will come and put the trouble on Otiko. Otiko will not accept it. If Bugri wants trouble from me then the trouble will come,” she said.

I’ll sue Otiko

Bugri Naabu has also on his part threatened to drag Otiko Djaba to court for defaming him.

“She should show me the person who gave me money or I asked for money, the person who gave me cow or I asked for cow, the person who gave me sheep or goat if I asked for it. I am asking her that I need evidence, if no evidence; I’m putting her before court,” he said.

–

By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post NPP woman suspended for supporting Otiko appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

A video, which captured some men beating and stripping the victim naked, went viral on social media a few weeks ago.

The incident has angered some Ghanaians who complained about the Gender Ministry’s delay in swiftly taking action on the incident.

But speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, the Minister explained that the Ministry refused to respond as soon the incident occurred because the details available at the time were scanty to have compelled a response from them.

“I understand some people are saying we did not respond on time; it is a criminal act and you cannot get up and respond without knowing the details. An allegation has been made. Whether it is true or not, it is not for anybody to be the judge…you don’t have the right to judge that person. The law says you are innocent until proven guilty.So it is a process, you cannot get up and start talking about things you don’t know. You don’t know until we work on it.”

Her call comes after she condemned the act and described it as horrific, and commended efforts by the police in arresting some suspects.

“Ghana is a blessed country; and we live by the principles of democracy and the rule of law. I condemn the video. It is horrific, it is about injustice, and that is not who we are as a people. Ghanaians have a lot of warmth and love especially for their mothers and children and so even if there is an allegation we believe a person is innocent until proven guilty.Criminals as well have rights; so in this case there is an allegation that she has stolen some money; but whether it is true or not, it is not for the mob to decide. It is for the system. It is the Police who will decide on that and that is why I am condemning it.”

“The treatment she was given is inhumane and lacks dignity. I want to apologize on her behalf and Ghana, and we will put in some mechanisms to ensure that it does not happen again. Having said that; I think there is a trend of intolerance building up in our society. Sometimes even young men who are involved are burnt. Mob action and some form of rage seems to be coming into our national development and that means we have a lot of work in the advocacy so we are going to work with the Police and stakeholders like the traditional rulers and the victims themselves so that we begin to sensitize our people about tolerance and the rights of individuals.”

–

By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

The post Criticizing Gender Ministry over Kumasi ‘mob justice’ unfair – Otiko appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.