By Michael Kofi Kenetey
The Atiwa East District Assembly, in collaboration with the SOS Children’s Villages, Asiakwa, through their Family Strengthening Programme has organised Child Rights and Protection Training for stakeholders in Adasawase and New Jejeti at Anyinam in the Atiwa East District of the Eastern Region.
The training is to enhance knowledge of stakeholders and create awareness about child rights and protection issues and to strengthen the capacity of Community-based organisations to implement policies, programmes, and interventions that will safeguard children’s rights in the various communities.
The training brought together community leaders from Adasawase and New Jejeti and representatives from the various departments of the Atiwa East District Assembly, including the Social Welfare, Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and NADMO, among others.
The training is also to provide stakeholders with an in-depth understanding of national and international legal frameworks that protect and promote child rights in Ghana and their implementation at the community and district levels.
In an interview with GBC News, the National Child and Youth Safeguarding Advisor, Josiah Bernard Nartey, noted that child protection is the responsibility of all stakeholders involved in the care of children and has a critical role to play in child rights and protection.
He stated that the traditional leaders in communities, the district assembly, community child protection committees must ensure that children, wherever they find themselves in the community, are safe and protected.
The Family Strengthening Programmes Coordinator of SOS Children’s Villages, Asiakwa, David Kanortey, noted that it is appropriate to mobilise stakeholders to make them understand the rights of children and legal frameworks the enshrine the rights of children. This is to ensure effective collaboration in the protection of children and their rights.
The Atiwa East District Assistant Social Development Officer, Rose Anto Ogyifase, revealed that the training has exposed participants to issues of child labour and child abuse. She reiterated that the training has broadened their horizons on how to effectively handle child labour and abuse issues when reported to them.
The Family Strengthening Community Empowerment Project Officer at Adasawase and New Jejeti at SOS Children’s Villages, Asikwa, said stakeholders are very paramount to ensuring sustainability of the project. She added that for stakeholders to realise their critical role to play in child protection, capacity building and training are the way to go.
The School Steering Committee Secretary, Bright Obeng Berkoh, hinted that the training will equip caregivers with various categories of child abuse and how to refrain from such acts. He noted that protecting children from abuse will help bring up children to be better in the future.
