Source: Business Ghana

Women and adolescents from Tarkwa Nsueam in the Western Region have undergone a two-day training to empower them on their sexual and reproductive rights.

The workshop, organised by the Human Rights Advocacy Center (HRAC) and supported by the British High Commission, was attended by 15 queenmothers and 35 students from selected junior and senior high schools in the municipality.

The participants were taken through topics like; Human Rights, What the Law Says about Sex, Who is an Adult and a Child, Who can Access Abortion, and Issues Faced by Young Women If They Are Not Protected.

Mr Robert Akoto Amoafo, Executive Director of HRAC, said feasibility studies conducted by the organisation with some queenmothers and market women in Tarkwa indicated there was high enrollment of girls in school but most of them did not complete their education due to financial constraints and teenage pregnancy.

He said they decided to address these issues to enable the girls to complete their education successfully.

Mr Amoafo said the main aim of the training was to empower the girls to make informed decisions about their reproductive health.

He said the queenmothers were involved because they had a lot of influence when it came to issues relating to women.

He said the students, after the training, would become peer educators in their respective schools.

Mr Amoafo said to ensure that every citizen in the municipality benefited from the programme, a center would be set up in Tarkwa to be managed by a mid-wife who would offer services to members of the community.

Nana Abena Konadjoa II, Queenmother of Wassa Fiase Traditional Area, commended the organisers for the programme and pledged the queenmothers' support to make it a success.

She urged all the participants to make effective use of what they had learnt to improve reproductive health issues in their communities. 

• Ghana