Awareness campaign to prevent pregnancies in schools : Tips from Véronique Tognifodé

To prevent this state of affairs and give learners the necessary weapons to avoid these pitfalls, focus on their objectives in order to perform to better build their future, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Microfinance relaunched the Agbazatché campaign with participatory exchanges in high schools and colleges. Getting started for this campaign 2022 – 2023 took place on Thursday 22 September 2022 in three teaching colleges in Ouémé, namely : the CEG Honvié, in the commune of Adjarra ; the CEG Dangbo and the CEG Akpadanou in the commune of Adjohoun with the active presence of Minister Véronique Tognifodé.

With hundreds of teenagers(e)s, the Minister mainly discussed sexual and reproductive health, the benefit of parent-child dialogue, self-esteem, means of reporting sexual harassment, etc.… In an educational way, and in response to the concerns of learners expressed without taboo, the Minister demonstrated, the consequences of irresponsible sexuality, particularly on the education of girls. She explained to them how seeking facilities on the benches in exchange for sexual favors can lead the student into difficulties..

While inviting them to observe responsible attitudes, Minister Tognifodé reassured students that the Government has put everything in place to secure their school curriculum. She informed them of the legal measures taken by the Government to strengthen the protection of girls against all sexual violence., and reform the National Institute for Women to strengthen this fight. Better, there are several other measures taken to support poor families in order to prevent poverty from being a pretext for girls to give in to the bargaining of their bodies, which is not without consequences.

Bullying in schools, the rapes, forced and/or early marriages are now severely punished and must be denounced, advised the Minister while insisting on the fact that girls, they themselves must “become aware of the importance to be given to their training; know what they want and not allow anyone to disrupt their destiny”.

Madame Marie Akpotrossou, Prefect of Ouémé remained in the company of the Minister throughout the course to invite the students to follow the advice given. At each step, Mayors and managers of establishments welcomed the Ministry's approach and hoped that it would be systematized by the MASM to help them reduce the birth of certain social scourges still present in their establishments..

Source PFC/MASM