![\"b2aca45e-926f-41e4-a6b5-a1f1331aae1a\"](\"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/b2aca45e-926f-41e4-a6b5-a1f1331aae1a.jpg\")
<\/p>\nA Deputy Director in-charge of Clinical Care at the Upper East Regional Health Directorate, Dr. Abdul-Razak Dokurugu, has bemoaned the increasing rate of abortions and sexually transmitted diseases among youth in the region.<\/p>\n
Dr. Dokurugu attributed the situation to lack of sex education among the youth.<\/p>\n
He also said parents shy from educating their wards on such issues.<\/p>\n
Dr. Dokurugu however appealed to the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to include in its curriculum sex education, especially for basic schools, to curtail the menace.<\/p>\n
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This, according to Dr. Dokurugu, will save today’s adolescent youth from future sexual reproductive complications.<\/p>\n
Upper East has the\u00a0highest adolescent abortion rates<\/strong><\/p>\n According to the 2014 demographic and health survey, the Upper East Region has the highest adolescent abortion rates.<\/p>\n In 2013, 23.8% of adolescents committed abortions, 24.1% in 2014 and 22.7% in 2015. Meanwhile, 15.5% of adolescent pregnancy was recorded in 2013, 15.0% in 2014 and 15.3% in 2015.<\/p>\n Every year, a quarter of all unsafe abortions are performed on adolescent.\u00a0 More than two million adolescents between 10 and 19 years are living with HIV according to the World Health Organization.<\/p>\n Parents reluctant to talk about sex and sexuality<\/strong><\/p>\n Speaking at an adolescent health club inauguration in Bolgatanga, Dr. Abdul-Razak further blamed parents for the surge in the cases of abortion and STIs saying they don\u2019t educate their wards on such issues.<\/p>\n “The challenge is, parents are reluctant in talking about sex and sexuality and so if we do not provide the information and when the avenues do not exist for adolescents to openly discuss these issues and there act by themselves, this is what the picture looks like; high rate of abortions, teenage pregnancy, high rate of sexually transmitted diseases, the most devastating being HIV\/AIDS, very initiation of sex is a pre-disposing factor for the development of cancer of the cervix,” Dr. Razak stated.<\/p>\n ‘Sex and sexuality must be an integral part of our educational systems’<\/strong><\/p>\n Dr. Razak appealed for an integration of sex and sexuality in the curricular of the Ghana education service to curb the menace.<\/p>\n “Sex and sexuality must be an integral part of our educational systems, what is lacking in that aspect of the teaching is the teaching is the practical realities on the issue. The syllabus dwells more on the theory of human development but the real life situations regarding unsafe abortions, substance abuse, delinquencies in schools are not very much highlighted. The early we together as a society taught of a very effective way of introducing sex and sexuality into our education, the early, the better.”<\/p>\n The inauguration of adolescent clubs in selected Senior High Schools in the Upper East Region under the theme “Promoting and Sustaining Adolescent Health (Healthy Young People, Better Future) Role of the Community” is aimed at equipping the adolescents with accurate information on reproductive health dangers and creating avenues for open discussions of sex and sexuality with their parents and peers.<\/p>\n The schools include Bolgatanga Senior High School, Zamse Senior High Technical school, Kongo SHS and Tongo Senior High Technical school. There are also 16 and 234 adolescent clubs in both second cycle and basic schools in the region.<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n By: Frederick Awuni\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Deputy Director in-charge of Clinical Care at the Upper East Regional Health Directorate, Dr. Abdul-Razak Dokurugu, has bemoaned the increasing rate of abortions and sexually transmitted diseases among youth in the region. Dr. Dokurugu attributed the situation to lack of sex education among the youth. He also said parents shy from educating their wards […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":220965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"e6b83a16-d812-4f8e-8b54-4a7b56e47673\"](\"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/e6b83a16-d812-4f8e-8b54-4a7b56e47673.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"1d73a6ed-8f2d-4c19-a12a-261498f7681d\"](\"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/1d73a6ed-8f2d-4c19-a12a-261498f7681d.jpg\")
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