Child Rights International inaugrates University of Ghana Chapter
Child Rights International (CRI), a non-governmental organisation, has inaugurated the University of Ghana (UG) Chapter of Tertiary Advocates for the Rights of Children (TARC) to ensure a sustained effort at protecting the interests of children in the country.
TARC aims to engage tertiary students to be advocates for the protection of children’s rights as well as inculcate in them a sense of responsibility to grow to become good citizens.
Mr Bright Appiah, Executive Director of CRI who inaugurated TARC, said it formed part of CRI’s initiative to expand its activities to tertiary institutions and ensure continuity of child rights activities in the country.
He said, “The potential of children cannot be taken for granted and the ability to contribute to development cannot lie fallow. We need to pay special attention to children in order to extract the best from them for good purposes”.
Mr Appiah said it was time members of society did what was right to safeguard the interest of children, saying most of the children had been subjected to many inhumane treatments for far too long.
He reminded the executives and members of TARC to nurture a sense of responsibility and sensitise children to uphold the basic principles of equity, social justice and dedication to society’s service.
Dr Kofi Ohene-Konadu, Head of Department of Social Work of UG, called on adults not to fail children but show love and responsibility to children for their proper growth.
He said protecting and taking good care of children would aid national development, since they would grow to take up the mantle of leadership.
Dr Ohene-Konadu expressed delight that tertiary students had taken it upon themselves to work to champion the cause of children and called on them, expecially social work students, to do a lot of research on children and the family system.
The Legon Chapter of TARC has an 11-member executive, which was sworn into office for a one-year term.
Its President, Mr Yoni Howard, called on members to be proactive and to work to advance the interests of children.
Mr Howard who is also First Deputy Counsellor of the Campus Christian Fellowship, observed that cases of child vulnerability were on the increase, and gave the assurance that members would work to justify the confidence reposed in them.
There was a choreography performance by a group of pupils drawn from some basic schools within the Accra Metropolis.
Source: GNA