The Executive Director of CAMFED Ghana, Fairuza Safian, has expressed concern over the high level of misinformation surrounding sexual reproductive health (SRH) in Ghana.
Speaking about a recent scoping study conducted with support from Trenz Consult, she revealed that many people are unaware of existing SRH policies in the country.
According to her, the study, which covered selected regions and communities, found out that cultural practices and societal norms discouraged open discussions on SRH at home.
“There is also strong resistance to educating school children about the topic. As a result, young people rely on their peers for information, much of which is inaccurate”
“Many do not even know where to access the right SRH services or how to seek support when needed,” she explained.
Ms Safian emphasized that the purpose of the study was to highlight such challenges to guide the government and development partners in ensuring that young people were properly informed.
She clarified that the aim was not to expose children to sexual activities but to help them understand their development in a safe way, adding that this would prevent them from making uninformed decisions and falling victim to sexual exploitation in their communities.
Additionally, she noted that while Ghana had strong policies on SRH, the main problem was inadequate funding for their implementation.
She called on the government and development partners to work together to allocate the necessary resources.
This, she believes, would help address many social issues affecting young people and create a supportive environment for their growth.
In a presentation dubbed: ‘Enhancing Sexual and Reproductive Health Education and Services for Adolescents in Rural Ghana: Scoping Study and Needs Assessment in Ghana’ Archibald Adams of Trenz Consult, said most young people get their SRH information from health centres, schools, religious gatherings, and the media.
However, he said, much of this education happened reactively, only when a girl was already pregnant—rather than as a proactive effort to prevent unwanted pregnancies and health risks.
“About 80 per cent of households agree that young people should start learning about reproductive health between ages 10 and 15,” he indicated.
“Access to SRH services is another major issue. While some services are free under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), many people in rural communities are unaware of this and end up paying for services they should receive at no cost.”
Mr Adams further stated that unsafe abortion practices remained a serious problem, with some girls using harmful substances due to a lack of proper healthcare access.
To improve the situation, he recommended integrating comprehensive SRH education into school curriculums, making health services more youth-friendly, and ensuring they are confidential and affordable.
He said there was the need for community-based education to be expanded to ensure that parents, traditional leaders, and educators were involved in breaking cultural barriers.
Mr Adams also called for better government support by increased funding for SRH programmes, better-equipped health centres, mobile health services for remote areas, and training of healthcare workers can improve access
