World Vision Ghana (WVG) has organised a two -day workshop for some selected traditional rulers and Assembly members in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region to build their capacity to develop by-laws to help deal with child protection issues in the area.
WVG is a Christian relief, Development and Advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice
The training programme, sponsored by the World Vision Area Development Programme of Kasssena-Nankana, drew stakeholders from Mirigu–Nabango, Kandiga and Sherigu.
The stakeholders identified early child marriages, teenage pregnancy, school dropouts, drug abuse, child labour, streetism, irresponsible parenting, peer pressure and early use of mobile phone as some of the child protection issues.
They are expected to draft by-laws to be forwarded to the Assembly for deliberation, and to be gazetted to help fight the menace.
Speaking at the training session on Monday, the Sponsorship and Child Protection Officer of WVG, Moses Nsoh, explained that what informed WVG’s decision to empower the stakeholders in the communities to come out with the by-laws was due to the considerable number of child protection cases emerging from the communities.
The Sponsorship and Child Protection Officer mentioned that WVG over the years had implemented number of activities to improve the welfare of children and their families,and added that his outfit viewed child protection issues as major concern to be addressed now to help produce responsible leaders for the country.
The Paramount Chief of the Sherigu Traditional Area, Naba Roland Togumdeya Akwara III, expressed worry of the inability of most of the traditional rulers and the Assembly members to help deal with the canker and attributed that to the lack of by-laws on child protection.
He stated that he was very optimistic that with the gazette of the child protection bylaws, it would help minimise the trend and called on all to support the cause.
The Chief of the Kandiga traditional area, Naba Henry Abawine Amenga-Etego, who commended the WVG for the capacity building trainingprogramme, stated thatit had refreshed their minds on child protection issues to help deal with the problem in their communities.
The Assembly Man for Nabilingo–Kandiga electoral area, Mr James Atorigo, stated one of the major issues in the area was high dropouts of school children as a result of teenage pregnancies, child marriages and expressed the hope that the problem would be curtailed when the by-laws were harmonised and implemented.
The Assemblyman for Nindongo Electoral area, Mr Mathew Nindongo, stated that there was the need for multi-sectoral collaboration to help tackle the menace and promised that they would lobby to ensure that the drafted by-laws were gazette.
FROM SAMUEL AKAPULE, SHERIGU
