STMA calls on traditional authorities to help fight social vices

The Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has called on traditional authorities to support the Assembly fight social vices within the Metropolis.

Mr Isaac Aidoo, Senior Administrative Officer and Project Coordinator for the Twin city Sustainability project made the call at a stakeholders’ conference which was attended by traditional leaders, Assembly members and opinion leaders within the Metropolitan.

The Stakeholder’s conference on the theme, “Community Campaign on youth-oriented and gender-sensitive issues” formed part of the Assembly’s twin – City sustainability project.

The conference was to herald a massive sensitization campaign within the Metropolis on teenage pregnancy, illicit use of drugs and gender violence in the Metropolis.

Mr Aidoo said the sensitization campaign has become necessary as social vices among the youth in the Metropolis were at an all-time high.

He said “Statistics from Metro Education Department indicate that for the past five years out of 39,005 candidates who were registered 131 did not sit for the BECE with 16 of them being because of pregnancies.

With the Senior High School for the past five years, he said 33,041 candidates who registered,94 could not sit for the WASSE examination.

He noted with concern that Illicit drug use, teenage pregnancy, child prostitution and gender-based violence were gradually increasing year by year in the Metropolis.

Ms Constance Baiden, Metropolitan Director of Social Welfare, for her part, bemoaned the practice of child prostitution in the Metropolis.

According to her, the department has recorded children as young as 10 years engaged in prostitution in the Metropolis.

She revealed that European Town and Kojokrom were becoming hot spots for child prostitution within the Metropolis.

Madam Baiden, however, stated that the best the Department could do was to educate and sensitize the hotspot communities on the effects of these activities on both parents and children.

“We have been going to European Town and other communities frequently for sensitization…we have been rescuing children and sending them back to their parents. Our problem is that after we have rescued and sent them back, you will see them back on the streets,” she added.

Queen Mother for Essipon, Nana Kofi Buona commended the Assembly and welcomed the campaign to fight social vices among youth within the Metropolis.

The Queen-mother advised parents to be protective in the care of their children as it was the responsibility of parents to care for the needs of their children.

She urged Parents to talk to their children and make friends with them and also endeavour to know the friends of their children and do proper investigations about their backgrounds because such friends could be of great influence on their wards.