Team Leader for International Needs-Ghana, a non-governmental organization (NGO) which seeks to empower and advocate for the Ghanaian youth, Ms. Vera Elikem Awuye has urged journalists in the country to prioritize issues pertaining child trafficking, rape, child marriage, and assault which widely dominates the nation's recorded gender-based violence cases.

According to her, discussions on such topics when jealously upheld by the media will create the enabling environment for the public to get sensitized on how to tackle matters related to gender-based violence when encountered.

She said its about time the citizenry are made to understand that perpetrators of the aforementioned acts are handed over for the law to take-up on them and not to have such matters resolved at the communities to be later sweep under the carpet.

Ms. Elikem said this after a day workshop held for media personnel and COMPAS operators in the Central Region at the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Municipal Assembly Hall dubbed "The Empowered Youth In Africa" (TEYIA) project.

In view of this, she outlined the alarming rate of teenage pregnancies periodically recorded in the region which raises eyebrow and can't be forgo.

The amiable Team Leader opined that these teenage pregnancies often leads to cohabitation, literary termed "B3ku Med) Aware3" which appears an accepted canker in most parts of the region.

She emphasized that the media being the fourth arm of government, consequently have the onus bestowed on them to frequently report on gender-based crimes to have potential culprits to the act shy away.

"The media often shun to hold thorough discussions on gender-based violence just because they aren't the ones affected, leading to the destruction of many youths who fall victims to these acts," she noted.

Source: Sompaonline.com/Eric Annan