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The well-being of children, particularly the girl-child in this era of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic must be a major concern of parents and guardians, more importantly at a time that schools have been closed down.

The girl-child not in school now is at risk of getting pregnant through engagement in pre-marital and unprotected sex.

Hence, the need for them to be well-protected from such a social and health challenge, said Mr. Davies Yeboah Aboagye, the Bono Regional Population Officer, National Population Council (NPC) in a press release signed by him concerning the recently-celebrated World Population Day (WPD) and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani.

The WPD falls on July 11 annually and this year’s celebration was on the theme "Putting the Brakes on COVID-19, How to Safeguard the Health and Rights of Women and Girls Now".

In safeguarding the health and rights of women and girls, “the NPC seeks the support of all stakeholders in creating awareness on women and girl-children sexual reproductive health needs”, the release said.

It expressed concern that “child marriage, gender, and sexual-based violence which do not promote maternal and child health is causing teenage pregnancy and early motherhood which has been a major health concern and social issue in the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions and the nation at large".

According to the release, the WPD also focused on the need to create awareness on global population trends and their implications for development as well as emerging issues confronting humanity”.

The statement explained the theme further emphasised the need “to advance the course of advocating for the continuity of sexual reproductive health rights and gender-based violence services”

It cited the 2017 Ghana Maternal Health Survey reported 16.0 percent of girl-children between the ages of 15-19 who had begun child-bearing or pregnant with their first child before the survey in the then Brong-Ahafo Region - now Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo Regions.

It is therefore incumbent on parents and guardians to monitor the movements of their girl-children to prevent unwanted pregnancies and their concomitant health complications and risks as well as the social repercussions like dropping-out of school, the release stressed.

This situation, the NPC considered among others very essential to be dealt with to help improve the quality of life of people and position Ghana on a solid ground for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.