Parents have been advised to desist from accepting financial rewards from persons, who either defile or impregnate their teenage daughters in order to settle such cases at home.

Mr Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Concerned Citizens Association (CCA), said until parents of victims of teenage pregnancies and defilement stopped settling such criminal cases at home efforts of the government at reducing or possibly eliminating teenage pregnancies might come to nought.

Mr Appiah gave the advice at a day's seminar on teenage pregnancies and its negative effects organised by the Lovers Mothers Club of Suame in Kumasi on Sunday. Mr Appiah said parents should insist on the arrest and prosecution of those, who committed such crimes to serve as a deterrent to would-be offenders.

He explained that mutual settlement of cases involving teenage pregnancies at home only went to encourage the offenders to continue with the unacceptable act, while putting the life of the victims at risk.

Mr Appiah disagreed with the notion in certain circles that giving sex education to children at the tender age "will only go to spoil children". He said such an approach would help them to appreciate their sexuality and put them in a better position to ward off any immoral acts until marriage.