The Upper East Region recorded 2,436 teenage pregnancies between January and May 2025, renewing public concern about the welfare, health and future of adolescent girls in the region.
Of the figure, 25 cases involved girls aged 10 to 14 years, while the remaining 2,411 were between 15 to 19 years.
Review meeting
This was contained in statistics presented by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) during a regional review meeting on the Essential Services Package (ESP) for women and girls subjected to violence.
The meeting, organised by the Department of Gender with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), brought together stakeholders from the GHS, Ghana Education Service (GES), Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, Legal Aid Commission, Department of Social Welfare, Judiciary Service and Civil Society Organisations.
The meeting aimed to review progress under the ESP, which is a framework for service providers to coordinate efforts to support survivors of gender-based violence, identify gaps in service provision, and strengthen coordination among service providers.
District breakdown
The data showed that Bawku West District recorded the highest number with 372 cases, followed by Pusiga (276), Bongo (212), Talensi (210), Kassena Nankana West (198), Kassena Nankana Municipal (196) and Bolgatanga Municipal (152).
Other districts included Bawku Municipal (147), Tempane (123), Garu (118), Builsa South (116), Nabdam (100), Binduri (86), Builsa North (78), with Bolgatanga East recording the lowest with 52 cases.
Alarming trend
Presenting the data, Health Information Officer at the Regional Health Directorate, Ms Charity Tanni, described the trend as alarming saying it must be tackled head-on to safeguard the future of adolescent girls.
She called for collective efforts to prevent adolescent pregnancies, which often resulted in school dropout, poor maternal health, and future economic hardship for the girls involved.
Court and police frustrations
Registrar at the Bolgatanga Circuit Court, Mr James Akandi, revealed that out of 24 gender-based violence cases currently before the court, 14 were defilement cases.
He, however, lamented that many of the cases drag on due to resource limitations and witnesses failing to appear in court.
Similarly, the Regional DOVVSU Coordinator, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mariam Awemoni, decried poor coordination between her office and district-level DOVVSU units, saying it hampers not only case tracking but also accurate data collection.
“Unless a case is reported directly to us, we are not able to get data from the districts on cases and their progress because the district units report to the District Commander who reports directly to the national level,” she explained.
Call to action
The acting Regional Director of the Department of Gender, James Twene, stressed the importance of institutional collaboration, proper data management and timely follow-up on cases to ensure survivors receive justice and protection.
In a remark, the UNFPA Focal Person at the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council, Yvonne Wonchua, called on all ESP stakeholders to work together to mobilise resources and strengthen infrastructure and psycho-social support for survivors of violence.
source: Graphic Online
