As a means to curb the increasing rate of teenage pregnancy in his area, a chief in the Central region has instituted a fine.
Nana Kofi Sakyi Ababio V of Gomoa Okwawu in the Gomoa West district revealed that the parents of teenagers are fined GHC200 when the girl gets pregnant.
His directive comes after the Central region recorded the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the country.
The situation was blamed on the high poverty situation in the area.
But Nana Kofi Sakyi Ababio V in an interview on Adom News revealed that, since he instituted the fine, teenage pregnancy rate in the area has reduced.
Also, he noted that parents who allow their children to sell on the streets at night are also fine GHC100 for exposing their wards to danger.
“The directive has been very effective because GHC200 is not easy to come by in this village so the parents are very alert” he stated.
Nana Sakyi Ababio added that, those who default in payment are sent to the chief’s palace and subsequently to the police for prosecution.
He appealed to other chiefs in the region to replicate this fine in their respective villages to reduce the teenage pregnancy rate in the Central region.
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