June 8, 2021
By Aruna Kamara in Kambia
The Chairman of the Kambia Youth Council, Mohamed Alim Kamara has categorically stated that they want to see a drastic reduction in teenage pregnancy in Kambia. He attributed the social problem to the International Trader Fair, locally referred to as Loma in Kambia District.
He suggested awareness raising to curtail teenage pregnancy and Sexual gender base violence in Kambia district.
Mr. Kamara made this statement at the opening ceremony of a one day awareness raising training on Gender Based Violence and Teenage Pregnancy Prevention for Youth Groups adolescent, and District Youth Councils in Pujehun District. The event took place at the Sierra Leone Red Cross Hall in Kambia over the weekend.
Mr. Kamara said that it was not a mistake to have chosen Kambia owing to the fact the district is strategically located at border crossing points with Guinea and Sierra Leone, where business activities are concentrated during trade fair or luma with influx of people from both countries.
He said that Kambia has an international Market with the presence of many girls to help their parents in selling and buying, as according to him these girls are susceptible to teenage pregnancy and SGBV.
He however expressed hope that with the involvement of UNFPA and Ministry of Youth Affairs to raise awareness on the prevention of Teenage Pregnancy and other forms of abuse, will go a long way to reduce teenage pregnancy, early child marriage and Sexual and Gender Base Violence.
Mr. Kamara said that the Kambia Youth Council is working with UNFPA and the Youth Ministry to change the narrative of adolescent girls becoming dropouts in Kambia as they are very important in the development of the country.
He added that the Youth Council worked with the chiefdom youth leaders in the identification of the adolescent girls in chiefdoms who are vulnerable in the district.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs, he said is doing a lot with its partners to ensure that the youths are knowledgeable about their sexual and reproductive rights, noting that the training will help to minimize teenage pregnancy.
Hassanatu Barrie from Timap for Women and Girls Organization in Kambia commended the UNFPA and Ministry of Youth Affairs for catching the girls when they are very young and being in youthful age.
She noted that these girls need to be targeted because they are very sexually active and messages on prevention of teenage pregnancy must be preached to them.
He said that Samu chiefdom is among the chiefdoms in Kambia District where girls are highly vulnerable to early marriage that leads to teenage pregnancy.
The Director of Programs at the National Youth Service, Sylvester Bewie said that adolescents and young people cover a range of services that include providing life skills to young people, youth-friendly health services and safe spaces and girls’ clubs.
He added that these measures are designed to support livelihoods and develop capacity, as well as to build personal knowledge and social environments that promote good health and personal safety.
Mr. Bewie said that their Partner, UNFPA has supported them to scale up the awareness raising training in order to put a stop or reduce gender base violence and teenage pregnancy, adding that President Julius Bio’s administration and his wife are committed to putting an end to SGBV and teenage Pregnancy.
The lead facilitator from the National Secretariat for Reduction of Teenage Pregnancy, Merian Sam-Mboma said adolescent pregnancy and child marriage in Sierra Leone pose a dire threat to girls, preventing them from realizing their full potential in all aspects of their development.
She reechoed that the causes of Teenage Pregnancy include unprotected sex, lack of education on sexual health rights, low socio-economic status and early marriage, She added that the consequences of teenage pregnancy include complications in delivery, stigma and discrimination and drop out from school.
She said that the National Secretariat for Reduction of Teenage Pregnancy have developed a National Strategy for the reduction of teenage pregnancy, work closely with partners including the youth Affairs to contribute to both national and global efforts to prevent teenage pregnancy and school based outreach of sexual and reproductive health information, and community engagement to provide a safe environment for the children to achieve their education to contribute to nation building.
She called on the girls to abstain from sex until the reach maturity when they would have achieved their education.
Kadiatu Favor Barrie from Kolentein Secondary School in Kambia explained that his friends dropout of school because they never had knowledge on the prevention teenage pregnancy. She therefore lauded UNFPA for supporting the Ministry of Youth Affairs to empower them with knowledgeable to say no to men with sexual desires until they achieve their education.
Kadiatu Barrie said that the trade fair in Kambia District is making them highly vulnerable as girls from poor homes will succumb to the request of men with huge financial muscle to exploit them.