A medical officer with the Kwara State Ministry of Health, Dr. Bisi Oyeyipo; and the Executive Director, Girls Alive Counselling Initiative, Mrs. Funmi Adebayo, have urged the federal and state governments to enact laws forbidding the sale of contraceptives across the counter, but only in registered health care facilities.

They spoke  in Ilorin on Friday during the International Day of the Girl-Child organised by the GACI.

Oyeyipo said the law, when enacted, would curb the abuse of such drugs which, she noted,  had negatively impacted the reproductive health of adolescent girls.

She advised that more youth-friendly facilities should be encouraged.

Oyeyipo also cautioned adolescents girls against engaging in pre-marital sex, saying, "When girls get involved in premarital sex, they are predisposed to getting pregnant and dropping out of school.

"And when they choose to abort, they come up with a lot of health challenges on their reproductive status. Some girls die in the process of abortion, some contract sexually

transmitted infections due to indiscriminate sex and so jeopardise their health."

Adebayo called on the governemnt to enact laws that will stop child marriage, saying the practice is inimical to the heath and development of the girl-child.

She added that the complications associated with pregnancy and child-birth are among the leading causes of death for girls aged 15-19 worldwide.

She urged all tiers of government to work towards focusing attention on girls' education and economic independence, preventing violence against girls and women, delaying early pregnancy and supporting safe childbirth.