Monday, October 12, 2015

UN URGES INCREASED INVESTMENTS IN ADOLESCENTS...

October 11, 2015:  Ghana has an unprecedented opportunity to focus on the power of the adolescent girl to drive progress and transformation if increased investments are made to address poverty and gender inequality, which are the key drivers of vulnerability among adolescents particularly, adolescent girls. This is the key message from UNFPA, UNICEF and WFP, as the world celebrates the International Day of the Girl Child, under the theme the Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030.
 
According to the three UN agencies, the policy environment in Ghana is favorable to adolescents and young people in general, taking into account the strong emphasis on reducing inequity that runs through all social sector policies and strategies. However, the benefits of economic development have been unevenly distributed and significant disparities remain that hold harsh consequences for the nation’s adolescents and young people.
 
Poverty is often the driving force behind harmful customary practices such as child marriage and other negative coping strategies like transactional sex. It also leads to the early withdrawal of adolescent girls from school resulting in a vicious cycle of poverty-driven reproduction, hunger and undernutrition.
 
Babatunde Ahonsi, UNFPA Representative in Ghana believes that investing in adolescents and young people has proven value for addressing poverty alleviation and gender equality, promoting social justice and building inclusive societies. Safe and supportive families, schools, and positive supportive peers are also crucial in helping young people reach their full potential and attain the healthiest and most productive transition to adulthood. He urged all stakeholders to help Ghana take advantage of its current demographic dividend window of opportunity by prioritizing investments in adolescent girls’ education, health and economic empowerment.
 
“If we ensure that adolescent girls today have access to good nutrition and education, delay marriages and pregnancies, then by 2030, more girls will reach their full potential and Ghana will be closer to the UN’s Zero Hunger goal which aims at eliminating hunger in our lifetime,” said Mutinta Chimuka, WFP Representative and Country Director in Ghana.  “We need additional interventions which address the nutrient needs of the adolescent girl in order to ensure that she is not driven into survival sex and resultant unwanted pregnancy or if she becomes pregnant now or when she is older, she and her child will be healthier. With good nutrition, we can begin to break the cycle of hunger and poverty, one girl at a time.”

Girls born in 2000 when the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were adopted have reached adolescence today, and the generation of girls born this year will be adolescents in 2030 when the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will expire. This year presents an opportune time to reflect on the importance of social, economic, and political investment in adolescent girls, as fundamental to breaking the intergenerational cycle of hunger, poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination, in order to achieve equitable and sustainable development outcomes. The future of the country rests on the capacity of this generation of 10 to 24 year olds to utilize opportunities and services across all sectors.
 
“As a group, adolescent girls can be a formidable force to create a better world with the right investments, support and interventions, adolescent girls have the power and potential to transform families, communities, nations and the world; Ghana stands to lose future leaders and innovators of tomorrow if any of these adolescents are left out due to disparities” said Susan Ngongi, UNICEF Representative. 

source: Press Release
  

Sunday, October 11, 2015

LIVE HUMBLY ACT BOLDLY, A PSYCHOLOGIST TELLS WOMEN.

     
Cup of Conversation...breakfast time.
    Apparently no one will raise an eyebrow to the news that men are more addicted to porn however, out of curiosity and the desire to please their sex partners,  women are increasingly being attracted to pornography--but the danger is, these women end up becoming addicts.


 A clinical Psychologist and  a behavioral health consultant Dr.Jennifer Mitchell, PsyD made this revelation at this months edition of Cup Of Conversation at the Crossroads Church, Seguin-Tx.
Explaining further, she said studies have shown that watching pornography causes certain hormones like Dopamine and Oxytocin in the body to be released, and oxytocin which is also known as the "love hormone "  is the kind of hormones which promote maternal bonding in breastfeeding moms and their babies so in effect,  one becomes more and more attracted or addicted to pornography without even knowing. Adding that due to that bonding effect, most cases , people do not find the same satisfaction in their partners no matter how good they  try to  apply what they watch in their  relationship and women suffer at the end because they are forced to focus on their sexuality rather than being sensual.

Speaking as the quest speaker on the topic Pornography and Women, Dr Mitchell admonished women to be more in-tune with themselves and strive to develop who they truly are other than being objectified and not having to say no.

She also expressed worry about the rate at which  women are increasingly being objectified and pointed out how  TV commercials portray women in almost every product- even  children ads are not spared. She also called on parents to be mindful of how they compliments their children . Adding that using certain compliments like " ...oh! look how hot, sexy or beautiful you look in that" they rather draw the kids attention to what they are wearing rather who they are, that according to her, some how may contribute to sexually objectifying the child.
Dr.Jennifer Mitchell ,  said although society from ages have shown women as object, the truth is women's true identity is in Jesus, because from the cradle to the grave women were there and God knows the worth of women. She said even though the cultural practice during Jesus time like it is in most cultures today, often condemned and relegated women to the background, Jesus always saw women beyond their sexuality. Buttressing this point, she made reference to the book of Luke in the bible and how Jesus offered full discipleship to women and hoe He treated women without condemnation " women can also receive God's grace and forgiveness"   therefore women do not have to choose or forced to be sex objects but rather LIVE HUMBLY,ACT BOLDLY

 The Meeting brought together more than two dozens of women not only to intaracts but to also worship and acquire more knowlegde. Oh! and as usual, there were plenty to eat and drink ...Yea! it is called CUP OF CONVERSATION.

Friday, July 17, 2015

A JUDGE AND LAWYER SENTENCED ON BRIBERY CHARGES.

   Kens5.com Staff, KENS 5        A former  Texas state district judge and an attorney were both sentenced to prison Wednesday as part of a federal corruption probe inside the Bexar County Courthouse. Angus McGinty, who resigned his position in 144th District judge in 2014, was sentenced to two years in prison. Attorney Al Acevedo was sentenced to one year and one day in prison.
McGinty was indicted on 2014 on charges of conspiracy to commit federal bribery, one count of bribery, one count of extortion and 12 counts of honest services wire fraud. The indictment alleged that McGinty solicited and accepted bribes from San Antonio lawyer Alberto Acevedo Jr. over a nine-month period in 2013.
McGinty resigned on Feb. 14, 2014, a month before Acevedo plead guilty to bribery. In his plea, Acevedo admitted he engaged in corruption by influencing McGinty with things of value.
The presiding  judge offered McGinty some time to spend with his family and serve his prison sentence after Christmas but McGinty didn't take it. He said he just wants to get his sentence over with. He said it's about moving forward now with his family. "What we're enduring is nothing compared to what other families have endured. We'll be fine," said McGinty.McGinty thanked the people who supported him in the last year and a half. He also, thanked the judge who sentenced him and the remarks he made in federal court.