By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA
Accra, Dec. 19, GNA – It is amazing that Ghana, the first country to sign the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1990, has not fully complied with the Convention.
This lack of commitment to the tenets of the convention could be the primordial reason child neglect and abuse continue to be prevalent in the country.
In some communities these have become an existent crisis - unacceptable levels of physical violence against orphans and vulnerable children both at the home, orphanages and schools.
The question that remains unanswered is “who is responsible for preventing child
neglect in the country and why Ghana is yet to fulfil its obligations under the convention, thirty (30) years after signing on to the treaty?”.
The traditional family system as the primary unit, where children are expected to thrive requires collective support towards the healthy development of every child.
Unfortunately, the government and society at large have failed to uphold their responsibility to the Ghanaian child.
A lot of work has been done by the NGO sector and global organisations like UNICEF, collaborating with stakeholders in the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies to craft policies and action plans towards protecting Ghanaian children, but regrettably not much is being done by way of effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation of these policies and action plans to achieve the desired results.
Reference can be made to the Child and Family Welfare Policy (2014), the Justice for Children Policy (2015), and the National Gender Policy (2015). Their implementation has been half-hearted.
Things are not any different also with the Five-Year (2018-2022) Strategic Plan to prevent Adolescent Pregnancies, Ghana Family Planning Costing Implementation Plan (2016 –2020) and the National Strategic Framework on Ending Child Marriage (2017-2018) along with their costed operational plans.
There is high deficit in the “Automated System for the Registration of Births and
Deaths” and the Care Reform Initiative, and it all has to do with underfunding, which is affecting the roll-out action plan.
Recently, the Ghana NGOs forum published its Position Paper at the end of the Ghana NGOs Forum held on September 16, 2019.
The planning Committee drew attention to the Government’s Coordinated Programme for Economic and Social Development Policies (2017-2024), which states that, “technical and financial resources will be prioritized at all levels, to ensure effective implementation of child protection and family welfare programmes.”
The action plan on these are still not tangible in terms of policy implementation and budgetary allocation.
The NGOs Forum underlined the need for the government to up its efforts through the release of budgeted funds to bring child protection services in the country to the minimum level demanded by the CRC.
Making available financial resources is vital, to address the needs of the most vulnerable children. The economic benefits of tackling and preventing child abuse within the socio-economic and cultural environment could be tremendous.
The Forum has been making strong case for increased funds allocation to child protection to the Ministries of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Education, Health and Department of Social Welfare.
The legacy of underfunding of policies and activities related to the protection of orphans and vulnerable, should end.
The Forum called for prompt release of the approximately GH¢300 million annual budget to adequately fund and implement existing plans and policies, particularly in the key areas of birth registration, alternative care, justice for children, child marriage and child sexual abuse prevention and care management.
The social and legal responsibility largely falls on the State in caring for out-of-home children. The government must demonstrate strong political will by not only strengthening the legal framework but making available adequate financial resources for effective implementation of child protection policies and plans.
Ghana being signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, has greater responsibility to give meaning to the treaty. Doing this would require bringing together a non-partisan group of technical experts to advice the Office of the President on issues related to child protection.
There could even be an Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Child Protection chaired by either the President or the Vice President.
Other recommendations made at the meeting held by the Forum include capacity building of experts, well-trained and resourced social workers, to engage in community education, for prompt response to incidents of abuse and to strengthen traditional family values that provided security and protection for children.
As part of their social duties, NGOs like OAfrica have been developing programmes and projects to support vulnerable children and their families in Ghana, West Africa.
OAfrica also empowers children and young adults in need of care and protection for reasons of abandonment, neglect, disability or abuse to become productive members of the society.
Given their complementary roles as social and civic grassroots actors, NGOs and other Civil Society Organizations should intensify their advocacy, to persuade government to do more to provide the required essential services for children in compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Faith-Based Organizations - churches, mosques and shrines, must also accept to do their part by using their platforms to discourage violence and all forms of mistreatment of children.
They need to educate their followers on issues related to the prevention and how to appropriately respond to child neglect and abuse.
We need to work together as parents, guardians and community leaders to create a more child-friendly society.
Child protection and care remains a shared responsibility, however, the government with state resources and machinery must lead the way.
GNA
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