Smartphones are the reason for the increase in teenage pregnancy in the upper east region (new survey)
Afrikids, a Child Rights Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), has revealed that the increase in teenage pregnancy, particularly in parts of the Upper East Region, is due to young ladies’ love for smartphones.
Aside from getting smartphones, the report claims that these young girls feel obligated to repay the phones, data, and credit provided to them by mostly men.
Worryingly, the young girls are unaware that giving sex in exchange for these things has serious consequences for their lives, including teenage pregnancy and infection with Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
Speaking on a recent study on the increase in teenage pregnancy in parts of the Upper East Region, Daniel Kpabitey, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Officer of Afrikids, a child rights NGO, said, “In those days when you had to write a letter to tell somebody that you loved them, it took ages.” It is now much faster due to use a mobile phone.
It’s just a matter of dialing and agreeing on a time to meet.
“Some parents are unaware that their children have phones because they [the children] hide them.” “When we asked about sanitary pads, some of the girls told us that the money for the sanitary pads comes from the boys,” Mr. Kpabitey explained.
Madam Cecilia Awiah, the Project Coordinator at Afrikids, stated that it is now concerning those young girls feel obligated to have sex in exchange for smartphones, data, and credit.
As a result, she claims, most young men drop out of school in search of jobs that will pay them enough money to buy phones for their girlfriends in order to have sex.
The survey was titled ‘Sister for Sister Project Baseline Findings’ by Survey Afrikids.
The survey was carried out to assist stakeholders in understanding the root cause of the spikes in teenage pregnancies in the target districts [Bolgatanga Municipality and Builsa North Municipality], particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The survey included 98 JHS 1 and 2 girls aged 12 to 18 from the two districts.
According to the survey, 66.3 percent of girls aged 12 to 18 could use a phone whenever they wanted. The survey also discovered that 25% of respondents owned mobile phones.
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