Ghanaian actress and TV personality, Gloria Sarfo, has expressed concern over the alarming rate of teenage pregnancy in the country and called on movie makers and fellow celebrities to use their various platforms to address the problem.
Data from the Ghana Health Service reads that last year alone, 102,673 teenagers were reported pregnant and Ms Sarfo voiced out the need to fight the trend.
Looking at the far-reaching consequences of teenage pregnancy on young girls, their families and the country as a whole, she urged creatives, particularly filmmakers to leverage their influence to complement the government and other stakeholders’ efforts in tackling the problem.
Speaking exclusively to the Graphic Showbiz after the premiere of the documentary ‘Unexpected’ by Elsie Production, which touches on teenage pregnancy, Ms Sarfo maintained that collective action is crucial not only to reduce but potentially eradicate it.
“According to the Ghana Health Service data, 102,673 teenagers got pregnant in 2022 and that is very worrying. I will plead with our filmmakers, fellow celebrities with huge influence, and those on various social media platforms to use our voices and platforms to address this issue. Let us support the government in fighting this problem that is plaguing our country”, she stated.
Proposing a strategy for filmmakers to contribute effectively, the Efiewura actress suggested they come out with works that delve into the challenges and factors contributing to teenage pregnancy. They should also raise awareness and encourage discussions on how to collectively address the issue.
“We can’t sit back as creatives with influential platforms and voices and look on as cases of teenage pregnancy soar, we have a pivotal role to play. We need to address this issue that is destroying the lives of our young ones, who are the future leaders of our country. Let’s come together to fight this canker,” she explained.
Also, Ms Sarfo implored stakeholders to embrace persons in the limelight and other creatives who are interested in collaborating with them to address such pressing issues and emphasised the importance of creating an enabling environment where these individuals would feel acknowledged and welcomed.
Without a sense of recognition and openness from stakeholders to engage creatives in collaborative efforts, she warned that it could deter them from undertaking initiatives aimed at supporting government endeavours to mitigate the challenges.
“The government and all our stakeholders must also give us (creatives) the platform and not stop us when we want to support a good cause. Most of our people will shy away from complementing the government’s efforts if they feel their ideas are not welcome or they are not needed”, she added.