Adewumi Ademiju Ado-EKiti
In an attempt to tackle the alarming rate of Teenage Pregnancy and sexual violence in the state, the Ekiti Chapter of Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) has organized a symposium to curtail the menace.
The topic of the symposium is “Dealing with the Challenges of Adolescent health, teenage pregnancy and rape”
Participants were drawn from various schools in about 16 local government areas of the state.
No fewer than 145 students participated .
The symposium came up at the NUJ Secretariat ,NTA road in Ado Ekiti, capital city of the state.
Resource Persons at the event were Dr Olofinbiyi Babatunde Ajayi, the executive Director of Adolescent Friendly Research Initiative and Care (ADOLFRIC) and a gender activist, Barrister Rita Ilevbare.
Delivering his lecture ,Dr Olofinbiyi stated that Adolescent stage represents the main viable outcome of reproductive process that forms the “bridge of life ” linking childhood to adulthood ,he regretted the pathetic aspect of the reproductive issue, which he said Constitutes a major force weakening and destroying”the bridge of life” and dashing the hope of building a strong and dynamic nation
Olofinbiyi in the lecture dished out importance of good health in adolescent stage and why teenagers should avoid early pregnancy..
“It has become imperative to support this needy , dying and neglected Adolescent population.
“Many government worldwide have designed beautiful policies, acts and programs for the adolescent population, but none of this has appreciably been translated into measurable action and practice.
It’s therefore high time we helped the adolescent population.
“It is also interesting and pathetic to find out that most parents, communities and some religious groups tend to prevent these Adolescent boys and girls from accessing the information and knowledge about sexuality and reproductive health issues
“Some people even see the idea of introducing sexual and reproductive health education to adolescents as being sinful,morally and socially wrong.
“Researchers and various international bodies (including World Health Organization) have confirmed that most of our adolescents are dying of reproductive health related problems because they lack the required information and knowledge about sexuality and reproductive health issues
“It is therefore a must to let these Adolescents know that it is their “fundamental human rights” to have access/link with every piece of sexual and reproductive health information
“Access to reproductive health information and education influences the adolescents to develop the right health seeking behavior and positive lifestyle adjustment in reproductive health.
“An important Reproductive Health Information to Adolescents is avoidance of premarital sex , premarital sex is not only sinful but may be deadly !- it refers to having sexual intercourse when one is not married.
“Most of the cases of teenage pregnancy ,unsafe abortion,HIV /sexually transmitted infections ,drop out of school,other reproductive health related problems and death are due to effects of premarital sex.”
The Chairperson pf the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) in EKiti,Mrs Fatima Bello decried challenges of Adolescent Health/ teenage pregnancy as issues bothering female Children.
The NAWOJ Chairperson stated that Teenage Pregnancy is an endemic problems in the society which needed to be adequately tackled .She regretted the impact of societal menace on Teenage Pregnancy “as the problem continue to increase.”
” The scourge has ravaged many countries.” According to Elizabeth Stuart,Niger Republic has about the world’s highest teen pregnancy rate .By the time they turned 18,75percent of girls are married,and 51percent have borne a child ,40 percent of Chad’s women have a baby before they turned 18.
” In Mozambique,41percent of women have a baby before they turned 20years of age . UNICEF even identified pregnancy as one of the country’s biggest obstacles to girl’s education.Just 17 percent of girls make it to secondary School.
“The story is the same in Nigeria.According to Damilola Oyedele as revealed few years ago by the Demographic Health Survey (DHS), religious and Cultural sensitivities made Nigerians live in denial of just how common teenage sex is
The NAWOJ Boss who explained that the symposium was primarily Organized in the state as one of the 16 days activism on stopping Gender Based Violence related to women in EKiti appreciated the Wife of the governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi on advocacy for women and female Children in the state, Nigeria and the world.
Mrs Bello why lamenting menace of alarming teenage pregnancy in the state, regretted that the high level of awareness about sex education and teenage pregnancy expected of the people in well educated Society like Ekiti as believed by the outside world is not translating in this regard.
” The case is getting worse with the prevalent cases of sexual abuse by some dangerous men in our societies .
” This must stop and this is not acceptable to NAWOJ.I know it’s the same with other sister Organizations in this state.”
The symposium featured didactic drama play by the participants.
The Chairman Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state,Comrade Rotimi Ojomoyela charged parents/guidance on timely discharged of expected roles , while calling the participants to practically utilize the garnered knowledge for impactful lives.