Teenage Pregnancy and Child Marriage in Sheaga, a community in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region is said to be on the rise, a development Community leaders largely blame on mining activities in the area.
The Talensi District is one of the few districts in the region blessed with minerals such as gold. Though mining has huge economic benefits to individuals and communities with such minerals, it also comes at a cost for many living in these areas and may further worsen the poverty levels in such communities in the long term if not checked.
For the people of Sheaga, young girls and boys who should be in school are resorting to mining to sustain their livelihood thereby leading teen girls into getting pregnant and marrying at a very tender age.
Speaking to dreamzfmonline.com on the sidelines of a community durbar on child marriage organized by the Network of Youth Civil Society Organizations, the Head of the Unit Committee for the Sheaga Electoral Area Samuel Bavizin said the leading cause of child marriage is mining.
“The problem with child marriage in this community is due to the mining activities in this area. The young boys go to the site and they mine. So because they get money from the mining activities, they easily woe the young girls; impregnate them and most lead to the marriage. Some also go the site and the boys impregnate them and they go back to stay with their parents. We can’t also stop them from going to the mining site because they complain of unemployment. They’re dying there every day but they still go, so there is nothing we can do and when you advise them not to go, they won’t listen,” he bemoaned.
TRADITIONAL RULERS URGED TO PUNISH PERPETRATORS
The role of community leaders in addressing developmental challenges cannot be underestimated as they command respect among the population and provide leadership at the community level.
It is in this regard that the Convener of the Network of Youth CSOs, Hillary Adongo, admonished traditional leaders to enact bye-laws and sanction men who impregnate young girls and also parents who allow their girl child to marry early.
“There is no doubt about mining influencing the high rate of early marriage and teenage pregnancy in this area because the vulnerability of girls is normally linked to their economic empowerment. So the more susceptible you are to being given out in early marriage is directly depended on your economic position. The poor people, are the people who suffer these things. So once these young boys go into the mining and they get money, they’re are able to lure these girls because of poverty,” he noted.
He added that “the way out for me is for us to continue to educate the people to understand the dangers but beyond the education, I think it would not be out of place for chiefs to enact bye-laws to sanction people who give their children out in marriage”.
HEALTH WORKERS CAUTION AGAINST ILLEGAL ABORTION
While lamenting over the seriousness of teenage pregnancy and early marriage in the community, a nursing officer at the Presbyterian Health Centre-Namolgo, Gordon Adaah, said young girls mostly Junior High and Senior High School students come to the facility with complains of ill-health but with further investigations, it mostly turns out to be pregnancy. He indicated further that they are mostly compelled to follow up to the family to ensure the girls do not engage in illegal abortion and equally encourage the families not to push the pregnant teenage girls to marry but allow them to give birth and continue with their education.
The nursing officer who has worked in the community for eight years said the rush to push young girls to marry has slightly reduced due to the education but underscored the need for concerted efforts to nib the practice in the bud as he cautions against illegal abortion.
“We will continue to advise that Biblically, abortion is not good though in some instance it is done to save lives. So I want to urge parents and young girls to desist from engaging in illegal abortion. It can affect the girl, where she can lose her life, womb or develop lifelong health complications. So if it is compelling, we advise them to seek medical assistance”.
The sensitization Programme saw the CSOs play a thirty minute audio in the local dialect highlighting the impact of early marriage on the young girls.
