By
Gideon D. Ebbah, GNA
Agogo (Ash), Aug 20,
GNA – Teachers have been urged to lead the campaign against child abuse and
domestic violence against children in the communities in which they work.
Ms Barbara Asare,
Campaigns Coordinator of World Vision in Ghana (WV-G), who made the call, said
the presence of teachers in almost every community and the leadership role they
played put them in a unique position to intervene and promote the welfare of
children, especially in rural communities.
Speaking at a
mini-durbar to create awareness among the youth of the Asante Akim North
District on the UNICEF U-Report initiative at Agogo, she said teachers had a
responsibility to be part of collective efforts to reduce child abuse in
communities.
The durbar which
attracted students from the Agogo State College and Collins Senior High School,
was to create awareness of the U-Report, which is a digital platform for the
youth to receive and share information on issues that affected their lives in
their communities, country and the world.
Ms Asare pointed out
that issues such as child labour, early child marriages, child trafficking,
child molestation and others, were rampant in communities and there was the
need for a strong community advocacy to stop them.
“Teachers’ voices
and influences are always measurable both in the education and upbringing of
children in the society. They could also help in the empowering of children and
the young people to be abreast with their rights and participate in the
handling of issues that concern them in their communities,” she stated.
She said the UNICEF
U-Report was a global initiative to help engage young people to share and
receive information on issues and matters that were of importance to them in
their communities, nation and the world.
It operates on SMS
and digital platform such as Facebook, twitter, WhatsApp, among others, to
allow the youth to speak out on issues that bothered them or existed in their
communities in order for UNICEF to relay those issues to the relevant
government departments for action and planning for change and improvement.
Ms Asare said the
focus of the U-Report platform was to bridge the gap that existed particularly
between young people and their decision making bodies and authorities at the local
and national level.
She called on
teachers to support the cause of the initiative by educating and helping their
students to sign on to the programme.
Mr Samuel Kofi
Amewonye, Head of Physical Education Department of the Agogo State College,
commended World Vision and UNICEF for the initiative, adding that it would
enhance the youth’s participation, trust and confidence in the government, both
at the local and national levels.
GNA
