Children call for child friendly budgets

Daily Graphic (pg11) Sat., June 19/10

Story Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho
TO commemorate this year's African Union (AU) Day of the Child, a call has been made to the government to ensure that national budgets were child friendly to help improve the lives of children in the country.
Also heads of families and communities have been called upon to factor in the needs of children in their budgets, such as prioritising home needs to favour children as well as the provision of parks, playgrounds, schools and other recreational centers in the communities.
The call was made by some selected children at a press conference organised by the Department of Children under the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC) and UNICEF.
The press conference which was addressed by the children was aimed at pressing home their demand for better education facilities in their schools, provision of better health services, good roads, among others.
This year's AU Day of the Child was on the theme “Planning and budgeting for children: Our collective responsibility”. Every year, the AU adopts themes and campaigns relating to the welfare and progress of African children.
The day was instituted on June 16, 1976, during the Apartheid era when thousands of black school children were killed as they undertook a peaceful walk to draw attention to the inferior quality of their education and to demand their right to be taught in their own language.
Although the children who presented the statement commended efforts so far made towards the well-being of children, like 'Oliver Twist', they asked for more saying that “when we receive priority it will tell on the future we have”.
A Junior High School Two Pupil of Osu Salem in Accra, Master Frank Appiah who addressed the media also called for the issue of gender budgeting to be looked at critically since the needs of boys and girls, men and women in the country were different ,which he thinks should be factored into the country's budget.
He also called for more pupils to be covered under the school feeding programme, as well as equal attention for the physically challenged children in the country.
Ms Roxanne Tsegah of the May's Education Centre in her submission also called for separate toilet facilities for boys and girls in both the public and private schools so as to reduce sexual abuse.
She further called for proper budgeting to reduce the incidence of street children in order to ensure that more children had access to education as well as the support for brilliant but needy children who she said also needed to have better education.
Ms Tsegah also called for better health, water, child protection and sanitation facilities to make life more convenient for the Ghanaian child.
The Deputy Minister of MOWAC, Hajia Hawawu Boya Gariba in an address appealed especially to parliamentarians to promote and approve budgets with children and women in mind and should also ensure that they allocated a sizeable amount of their Common Fund towards programmes and projects that would enhance the survival, development, protection and participation of children.
She said although this year's theme was challenging it would help all those responsible for the well-being of children to access themselves on how “we are planning and budgeting for the future generation”.
Hajia Gariba said it had become imperative for a child friendly budget to be instituted in the country as children who formed a majority of the country's population were voiceless and were affected by poor nutrition, poor health, poor schooling among others.
She also said budgetary spending affected the well-being of children and their life opportunities as spending on them determined further sustainable development of the nation.
The Deputy Country Director of UNICEF, Mr Rene Van Dongen in an address said “now more than ever we have to make sure that children are on top of the development agenda.
On behalf of UNICEF, he congratulated Ghana for spending significant proportions of its budget on issues such as health care and education but however said it could do more.
He said UNICEF would continue to work with the Government of Ghana and other governments to analyse their budget with regards to its impact on children to facilitate a more effective use of public finances for social purposes.
A Deputy Minister for Information, Mr Okudzato Ablakwa in a submission said the government will do everything possible within its means to ensure that all children including those who are physically challenged were given the needed attention that they deserve.