Ghana government asked to implement the Child Right Act
The St Barnabas Anglican Girls Empowerment Club, has called on Government to ensure that the implementation of the Child Right Act, to reduce the rate at which children are abused.
Ms Doris Okyere, President of the Girls Club said because most children are not aware of their basic rights, they have been subjected to various forms of abuse, which affects them throughout their development.
Ms Okyere at a seminar organised together with Cross Roads International, to commemorate the International Day of the African Child, called on relevant authorities as well as parents to ensure that rights of their children are not taken for granted.
This year’s celebration was on the theme: “Conflict and Crisis in Africa, Protecting all Children’s Rights.”
She advised members of the club and children to stay away from polling stations and not vote during the November 7, polls.
Ms Okyere said: “We need peace during and after the elections,” and appealed to the political parties to accept the election results to enable Ghanaians continue to enjoy peace.
Ms Abigail Edem Hunu, Coordinator of the Girls Empowerment Club Project, said Ghana is signatory to a lot of international laws, treaties and policies that seeks to protect the rights of children but the country is still being confronted with such challenges.
She said children should not be made to suffer at their early stages of life or be made to engage in child labour, because it is against their fundamental human rights.
Ms Hunu commended the African Union for bringing to bear the pervasive nature of child marriages on the continent and called on member states to help put a stop to the gross abuse of children’s rights.
She called on the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, and the National Commission for Civic Education to take stronger action to ensure that children know their rights to reduce the number of abuse cases against them.
Mrs Bertha Amedoh, Deputy Director Supervision, Accra Metro Education Directorate, reiterated the need for children to know their rights to help them make decisions and choices in their lives.
The International Day for the African Child is an occasion initially meant to commemorate the 1976 uprisings in Soweto, where there was a protest by school children in South Africa against apartheid – inspired education, resulted in the public killing of more than 100 of the unarmed young protesters by the police.
Source: GNA