The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) Cynthia Mamle Morrison has advised young girls to adhere to personal security measures to prevent being kidnapped.
They should at all times avoid the company of bad friends and relatives and desist from walking in darkness to prevent any possibility of being kidnapped by unscrupulous persons.
Mrs. Morrison gave the advice at the opening of the third mentorship and girls empowerment summit organised by the Central Regional Department of Gender in Cape Coast.
Her advice comes in the wake of recent kidnappings of young girls which has created fear within the population.
The four-day mentorship training workshop seeks to empower 130 adolescent girls drawn from Upper Denkyira, Assin North, Cape Coast metro, Twifo- Hemang -Lower- Denkyira and Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Municipality.
It was supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Global Affairs in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Regional Coordinating Council.
Mrs. Morrison, described the recent kidnappings as unfortunate and pledged the Ministry’s commitment to collaborate with all relevant agencies to protect vulnerable groups.
Equally, she admonished parents to prioritize the security of their children and wards especially to-and-from school, church and at home.
Mrs. Thywill Eyra Kpe, the Regional Director of the Department of Gender, advised adolescent girls on the need to abstain from early sex which could expose them to teenage pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).
Mrs. Kpe said the face-to-face interaction with the adolescent girls was an opportunity for the Department of Gender to discover issues affecting their studies.
She told parents to cater properly for their wards and said the lack of proper parental care often exposed teenage girls to unnecessary peer influence.