Madam Hannah Ashade, Volta Regional Deputy Women's Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has advised girls to be mindful of their sexuality and health for a better life.

Madam Ashade said the best reward children could give to their parents was to study hard and persevere to become great people within their families and in the nation.

She advised teenagers against premarital sex and acts of immorality, adding, "Focus on productive activities that can pave the way for a better future where no one will downgrade you because you are uneducated and jobless".

The NPP deputy women's leader was speaking at the inauguration of a girls club aimed at educating girls on sexuality and reproductive health at Kpalime Wegbe in the South Dayi District.

She urged parents, teachers and community elders to engage young adults in discussions in order to appreciate fully the concerns of these adolescents and be able to help them resolve any frustrations that might push them into waywardness.She called for harsher punishment against traditional practices like trokosi, female genital mutilation and early marriages that affect the health and progress of the girl child.

"Even though women constitute about 51 per cent of the population of Ghana, they face a lot of political, social and cultural challenges which account for their neglect in society.

“Women constitute only about 10 per cent of people in public offices, about eight per cent of people who serve as parliamentarians and an even worse fate when it comes to the total number of members in the district assemblies," she said.