The Central Regional Office of the Centre for National Culture (CNC) has intensified public education on child rights and abuses in the Region through drama.
The initiative geared towards effectively reducing the menace of child abuse that had derailed the dreams of many children, was organized by CNC with support from UNICEF, in collaboration with the Social Welfare and Community Development, Ghana Education Service (GES), and Ghana Police Service.
Speaking at separate sensitisation fora at Akropong in the Assin North District and Assin Nyankomasi in Assin Fosu Municipality on Tuesday, Madam Christina Carl Oparebea, Regional Director of CNC urged the people to respect child rights and end abuses.
She advocated for a unified approach in developing preventive and response mechanisms to child protection issues.
She reminded stakeholders on the need to use their platforms to mount public education to enhance the welfare of children.
It was imperative that all children especially those in deprived communities were given the needed protection and support to enable them realize their God-given potentials, Madam Oparebea noted and told parents to prioritise the welfare of their children and invest in their development for brighter future.
Mr Mustapha Okai Aryee, Assin Central Municipal Director of Social Welfare and Community Development, appealed to parents to desist from marrying off their girls at tender ages.
Despite government policies and laws against the practice, which declared the practice as crime, it was still prevalent and needed the combined efforts to enforce those legal provisions because it infringed on their rights as children.
Chief Inspector Comfort Adamtey, Station Officer of the Domestic violence and Victims Support Unit (DVVSU) in Assin Fosu Municipality, said the Unit’s desire was to empower the citizenry on their rights under the Domestic Violence Act (Act 732).
She mentioned cases of domestic violence to include physical, psychological and verbal abuses assaults, forced marriages, threats, rape, incest, sexual harassment and sodomy, illegal adoption, abortion among others.
Chief Inspector Adamtey underlined the need for religious and civil society organizations to join efforts at reducing the incidence of domestic violence against women and children and advised Ghanaians to be abreast with the law to fight for their rights.
She assured the public of absolute professionalism and impartiality from the Police to handle domestic violence issues and urged them to report all forms of abuses to the police immediately.
Nana Kotoka Yiadom II, Chief of Akropong complained about the use of children in farms, which had deprived many children access to free quality education.
He encouraged those in school to study hard to enable them achieve their aims and admonished parents to be closer to their children to enable them disclose issues of abuses with them.
