Men who impregnated 100 teenages girls deny responsibility in Ofoase-Ayirebi

She was forced to confront the hard reality of early parenthood, and education became an unreachable ideal.

For me, things were challenging.I couldn’t get what I needed from my father.I consequently encountered a man who claimed he wanted to date me in order to assist me. I concurred, but I disallowed any sexual activity. He once enticed me into his room, where we had intercourse, causing me to become pregnant. I was around 14 or 15. Baby is now two years old. Because of the stigma, I want to continue my education outside of this community, but it is challenging for me now that the guy can’t look after us, said Awurama.

This 17-year-old aspirant nurse who is nine months pregnant tries to maintain her goals in Kwaboadi No. 1 Junior High School, where these stories reflect the suffering experienced by young girls.

“I was conceived by a man who opted to raise me because my mother was unable to do it. I am nine months pregnant right now. My dream job is as a nurse. I don’t like how things are right now. I won’t wed that man.

Two siblings in the Bontodiase community endured the horrible trauma of sexual molestation before being impregnated by their abusers. The victims—a 17-year-old junior high school student in her third year and her 18-year-old sister—have had their lives completely changed.

Due to the pregnancy, the 18-year-old Ofoase Senior High School first-year Home Economics student is in risk of being expelled.

They claimed that if I had been in form 2 or 3, they could have accommodated my pregnancy and allowed me to attend class. I am now at home, but I plan to finish my study after giving birth. I want to join the military as an officer.

Their distraught father, Kwadwo Kwaning, decided not to disclose the abuse and instead accepted money in an out-of-court settlement, unknowingly continuing the injustice.

Two sisters, ages 15 and 12, who lived in Akyem Akokoaso, were kidnapped by a group of motorcycle-riding males, known as okada riders, and subjected to gruesome gang rape within the confines of a single room.
Unfortunately, the 12-year-old girl, who is still a youngster, is now carrying a five-month pregnancy.

The victims’ grandmother is calling for justice.

“Their mother visited Saudi Arabia but experienced a stroke before flying back to Ghana.I have therefore been looking after her two daughters. Therefore, what these Okada individuals did to my daughter is painful. Sadly, if he persists that the boy is to blame for the pregnancy, the boy’s mother will cast a curse on my daughter, Madam Hagan stated.

Dreams shattered, education abandoned, and futures left hanging by a thread. These girls, once full of hope, now battle against overwhelming odds.

Stephania Amissah Brikorang, In charge of Girl Child Education in the Akyemansa District Education Directorate said most of the abusers are Okada riders. She cited an instance where an Okada rider impregnated three students in same school.

Currently only nine(9) of the BECE candidates are pregnant in the district a marginal success attributed to the SPREAD Project.

“The rate of teenage pregnancy in our district was very high But due to this intervention the rate has reduce so we are praying that the message that we have sent across the children will inculcate so it helps them abstain to reduce teenage pregnancy and then help them in their education. Last year I had 10 BECE candidates pregnant and this year around 8 or 9. The form two students pregnant are very high about 12 in the district”. Stephania Amissah Birikorang said.

The District Education Director, Akua Ayisi said the rising sexual assault incidence points to a deep-rooted issue—poverty which makes girls vulnerable to manipulative abusers.

She said inability of teenage girls to to afford things as basic as sanitary pads can lead to desperate measures that make them vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.

According to the WHO, girls who give birth before adulthood are likely to bear increased health risks, social stigma, and adverse economic impacts for the rest of their lives

The SDG Target 3.7 therefore seeks to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes of countries

A nongovernmental organization, Ark Development Organization and UNICEF have been implementing a two year project dubbed “Safe and Protective Environment for Adolescent Development (SPREAD)” which has been making significant strides in the past two years to combat the pervasive menace of sexual and gender based violence in Akyemansa District.

Between the end of 2017 and the first quarter of 2023, 207 adolescent moms were identified, with seven of them being assisted and encouraged to return to school, according to David Kwaning, project officer of Ark Development Organization.

He anticipates that the number of teenage pregnancies will significantly decline by the project’s conclusion this year.

The detrimental effects of underage pregnancy and sexual assault on young girls and the community at large, according to Emmanuel Kwarfo Minta, executive director of the Ark Development organization.

He also made hints about attempts to enlist the help of the DOVSSU (Domestic Violence and Victims Supports Unit) in the fight for victims’ justice.

Source: Mynewsghana.com