Abstinence-Only Education Insufficient to Curb Teenage Pregnancy – CSOs Call for Policy Reform
Abstinence-Only Education Insufficient to Curb Teenage Pregnancy – CSOs Call for Policy Reform
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Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are urging the government to revise its national strategies on adolescent sexual health, warning that abstinence-only education is failing to curb the rising rate of teenage pregnancies in Ghana.
They are advocating for a more comprehensive approach that includes family planning, access to contraception, and age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health education. According to the CSOs, restrictive legal frameworks, underfunded programs, and gaps in reproductive health education are major barriers to effectively addressing teenage pregnancy and child marriage.
Currently, Ghana’s national teenage pregnancy rate stands at 15.2%, with the Savannah and Ashanti regions recording the highest rates—26% and 24% respectively. This marks an increase from 14.2% in 2014, according to the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey.
At a Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) workshop in the Ashanti Region, stakeholders expressed concern that policies focused solely on abstinence, particularly those implemented by the Ghana Education Service, are not yielding the desired outcomes.
“Socio-cultural constraints, inconsistent policy implementation, and a lack of harmonized legal backing are making it difficult to tackle this crisis effectively,” one stakeholder noted.
Henrietta Kaakyire Atta, Advocacy and Youth Coordinator at Marie Stopes International, emphasized the importance of educating youth about reproductive health in a way that is both age-appropriate and empowering.
“There’s a misconception that teaching young people about reproductive health promotes promiscuity,” she explained. “But many girls who are abused don’t even know they are victims, and they can’t speak to their parents about it. Education in this area is about awareness and protection, not encouraging sexual activity.”
The CSOs are calling on the government to adopt evidence-based policies that not only promote abstinence but also provide young people with the tools and knowledge needed to make informed choices, ultimately helping reduce Ghana’s rising teenage pregnancy rate.
