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Foundation engages traditional leaders on child protection

By
Samuel Akumatey, GNA

Ho, Nov. 11, GNA – Obaapa
Development Foundation, a non-Profit Organisation is seeking collaboration with
traditional leaders from across the country to help deepen child protection in
their communities.

Traditional rulers
drawn from all 16 regions, at a day’s forum in Ho on the Ghanaians Against
Child Abuse (GACA) campaign, were engaged on how to effectively play their
roles in child protection, and appointed as GACA champions.

Nanahemaa Adjoa
Awindor, Executive Director of Obaapa Development Foundation, opening the
forum, said the aim was to help understand the campaign, and strategize
together towards the successful implementation of child protection policies in
the communities.

“We are engaging
traditional leaders to see how we can expand the campaign nationwide, and we
would help them develop working plans suitable for them,” she told the media in
an interview.

Mr Israel Akrobeto,
Volta Regional Director of the Department of Children who took participants
through the Child Protection Act, said abuse, neglect, economic, and sexual
exploitation as well as child trafficking and abductions continued to cost the
nation its youths, particularly teen girls and infants.

He said traditional
leaders, as key stakeholders, must help ensure all forms of abuse were
investigated by the appropriate agencies and departments, and perpetrators
prosecuted.

Mr Akrobeto called
on stakeholders including the Gender Ministry to “decentralise” child
protection services, and also called for strong collaboration and collaborative
mechanisms among child protection actors.

Mr Emmanuel Nyarko
Tetteh, a Child Protection Specialist with UNICEF, said traditional leaders
must build relationships with relevant stakeholders, and also engage more with
their communities for effective campaign.

He said they needed
to build capacities to let children know their rights, survive and develop into
quality resources for the nation.

Mr Tetteh also
called on the local Assemblies to give priority to child protection, saying
UNICEF was supporting metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies with
child protection in their medium term development plan.

Mr Robert Akuaku,
Brand Manager of GACA, said traditional leaders spearheaded many community
engagements and that their involvement in the campaign would have a great
impact.

Mama Akuasabea VII,
Paramount Queenmother of Akrofu Traditional Area told the media the forum had
enhanced her knowledge on the subject, and would help identify and address
related issues in her community.

Nana Baimo Takyi
Abeam I, Chief of Ofinso Ampabame in the Ashanti Region described the
collaboration as a “brilliant venture”, and said the forum was helping correct
views on child protection.

He noted that there
was more to be done and called on traditional authorities to be deeply involved
in the development of the child.

The GACA campaign
was launched in 2017 as a multisectoral approach to help prevent all forms of
abuses against children nationwide with support from ministries of Children and
Social Protection, Local Government and Rural Development, Education, the
Canadian Government, USAID, Korean International Cooperation Agency, and
UNICEF.

Obaapa Development
Foundation focuses on women and children development with great achievements in
child advocacy initiatives, supports for teen mothers and rescuing of children
in the streets.

GNA

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