Ensure development of children

Daily Graphic, Pg 31. Wed. June 17/09

Story Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho

THE Minister of Women and Children's Affairs, Ms Akua Sena Dansua, has called on African leaders to make the survival and development of children the focus of their development programmes and agenda.
Making a statement on the floor of Parliament to mark this year’s Day of the African Child in Accra yesterday, Ms Dansua said heightened insecurity on the African continent had thwarted efforts at promoting the development of the African child.
She said hostile environments such as the displacement of families and communities being experienced on the continent had hindered the development and growth of the African child.
The Day of the African Child falls on June 16 every year. The day is being celebrated across the continent on the theme, “Africa fit for children: Call for accelerated action towards their survival”, and, according to the minister, “the African child is also faced with diseases and hunger, both of which negatively impact on his survival and participation in national progress”.
Ms Dansua said her ministry would use this year's celebration to focus on awareness creation on the major challenges of child survival, such as irresponsible parenting, child mortality, malnutrition, education, as well as vulnerable situations and child protection issues such as child labour, child trafficking, effects of conflicts on children, violence against and abuse of children, among others.
She, however, said despite all the challenges that bedevilled the African child, “the continent is making progress towards improving the situation of children”.
She cited good governance, the rule of law and due process as some of the measures used in promoting democracy, peace and security on the continent.
Ms Dansua said one peculiar feature of the day was child participation, saying that the concept was a right enshrined in the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 1998 Children's Act of Ghana.
She said child protection and development would be a mirage if society did not create the platform for children to participate in matters affecting their welfare.
Contributing to the statement on the Floor of the House, other Members of Parliament (MPs) pledged their commitment to ensure that children in Ghana were better protected.
The MP for Amenfi East, Mr Joseph Boahen Aidoo, in a submission, said children were into social vices such as illegal mining, pottering and street hawking because policies had not been put in place to see to their welfare.
He said if nothing was done about the plight of deprived children in the country, their future would be destroyed, as they would not have any training and employable skills.
The MP for Wa West, Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, who is also the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, in his contribution, called on his colleague MPs to encourage their various district assemblies to build children’s clubs that would engage the children to prevent them from engaging in social vices.
The MP for Evalue/Gwira, Mrs Catherine Afeku, in a contribution, called on people to celebrate the positive aspects of the African child, saying that children in Africa were intelligent but had been overshadowed by problems such as poverty, hunger and diseases.
She called on society to embrace children with disability, saying that such children should not be discriminated against but rather encouraged to come out with their best.
The Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, also called on parents to reproduce responsibly and lay solid foundations for their children's future.
Later, selected children from all the 10 regions interacted with members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Gender and Children. The children also presented a communiqué which outlined some of their needs, such as improved educational facilities, good healthcare systems, provision of electricity, spacious classrooms, provision of ICT and science resource centres, recreational centres and good water supply.
They also called for an end to child abuse, child trafficking, child mortality and illegal mining by children.