Young girls, women can stabilise growth

 Young girls and women can stabilise the heart of development in a society if they are educated, Minister for National Planning Charles Abel said.

“Educating a girl or young woman means we are educating the whole society,” he stressed during the World Population Day last week.

He said girls and young women should be empowered to educate the society like involving them in health awareness campaigns and introduction of reproductive health, gender issues and education, and create employment opportunity through family and community. Abel said they would focus on the responsible sustainable development strategy as it was the core of development.

“To invest means to assist the young girls and women to ensure they have access to basic education and health.”

According tothe key policy strategy plan, results from the Department of Health and Education had 13% each of young girls experiencing teenage pregnancy.

The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) data showed 13% of unplanned pregnancy.