Sulemana
Zakaria,GNA
Gushegu (N/R), Dec
04, GNA – Pan African Organisation for Research and Protection of Violence on
Women and Children (PAORP-VWC) has held a day’s stakeholders’ workshop on
promoting and protection against child trafficking, early child marriage and
forced marriages in the Gushegu Municipality of the Northern Region.
It was on the theme:
“Child Right Promotion and Protection in the Municipality: The Roles of
Community Members, Traditional Authorities, Stakeholders’’, and sponsored by
Kinder Rechte Afrika (KRA) of Germany.
Participants at the
workshop included; parents, security agencies, traditional authorities,
representatives from the Ghana Education Service, the Ministry of Health among
others.
Dr Peter Ndonwie,
Programme Director of PAORP-VWC, who spoke during the workshop, said as part of
measures to augment government’s efforts to protect children, a lot of packages
would be rolled out by the organisation, including; the establishment of a
community radio station in the area.
He said the radio
station would be used to broadcast syndicated programmes, especially in
advocating against all forms of child abuses and share ideas, experiences and
best practices, highlighting on attitudinal change in behaviour in the
municipality and the country as a whole.
Mr Mutaka Abdul- Razak,
an Assistant Director at the Gushegu Municipal Assembly, speaking on behalf of
the Municipal Chief Executive, said the assembly was collaborating with
individuals and other NGOs to institute measures to curb the high rate of child
marriage and other anti-social vices
He expressed delight
towards the intention of PAORP-VWC to establish a community radio station in
the area, to broadcast prime-time syndicated programmes on child trafficking
and child marriages and commended them for the initiative.
Mr Jafaru Mohammed,
Gushegu Municipal Director of CHRAJ, in a presentation on national laws and
policies and international laws, said the Article 28 of the 1992 Constitution
established the rights of the child and provided the framework for the
enactment of appropriate legislation to protect children on their rights.
He added that the
Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560) and other Acts provided for the right of the
child and covered issues of parental duties and responsibilities, maintenance,
adoption and fosterage, and protected children from exploitative labour and
child marriage, and stipulated responsibilities for care and protection of
children.
Ms Dumba Paulina, a
Public Health Nurse at the Gushegu Municipal Hospital, called for intensive
health education on Family Planning issues at both the junior high and the
senior high schools in the Municipality and said most of the children at these
levels were vulnerable.
GNA
