C/R: Lack of Money for Sanitary Pads Fuelling Teenage Pregnancy – YAN

The Founder and President of Youth Alert Network (YAN), Ms. Faustina Kyei-Baffour, has raised concerns over increasing teenage pregnancy in the Central Region and other parts of the country.

She attributed the situation to inability of parents to provide their girl-children with basic items needed for menstruation such as sanitary pads and appropriate underwear.

She said these things are needed to make girls feel comfortable to stay in school during menstruation.

“Failure on the part of parents to provide their girl-children with sanitary pads, gives more room for the girl-child to run to men for support, who later tend to take advantage of the girl’s situation and have sex with them and they mostly end up with teenage pregnancy,” she said.

“When a girl lacks sanitary pads to cater for herself during her period, it will definitely keep her off school because she wouldn’t want to sit in class and get her uniform stained with blood for her mates to tease her,” She lamented.

“I will, therefore, encourage parents to support their girl-children with the basic things they need for menstruation to help them stay in school during their menses and to prevent them from running to these men for support, which is contributing so much to teenage pregnancy because they take advantage of the situation,” she pleaded.

She made these remarks when the group paid a visit to St. Augustine’s Junior High School (JHS) and Bakatsir Methodist JHS within the Cape Coast South constituency to educate the girls on menstrual hygiene.

The group also donated some sanitary pads to the girls to help them maintain good personal hygiene during menstruation.

The Headmistress of Bakatsir Methodist JHS, Mrs Joana Ellen, pleaded with YAN and other NGOs to come and support the school with more sanitary pads.

YAN is a youth-led volunteer health group based in Cape Coast with interest in Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Advocacy and Mental Health Challenges that confront young people.

Source : ClassFMonline