Ghanaian govt calls for protection of children right: Official

On Tuesday, Ghana's Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection called on all stakeholders including parents, teachers, and community leaders who handle children to unite in providing protection to them.

In a release to mark the 2019 Day of the African Child, under the theme "Humanitarian Action in Africa: Children's Rights First," the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and its partners also urged all and sundry to unite to ensure that even in the midst of a humanitarian crisis the rights of children are adequately protected.

"As a nation, we need to promote peace in our communities by upholding the rights of all children as entailed in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) on the occasion of its 30 years of ratification," the release noted, as reported by Xinhua.

The Day of the African Child (DOAC) is observed every year on June 16 since the year 1991 by the Member States of the African Union (AU) and its partners to commemorate the 1976 uprisings in Soweto, South Africa.

The protest by black schoolchildren was against apartheid-inspired education, resulting in the public killing of the unarmed young protesters by police. This year's celebration is also linked to the World Refugee Day which will be celebrated on June 20, and also the 30th anniversary of the UNCRC.

The humanitarian crises result from various factors or events, according to the AU, such as natural disasters, man-made ones resulting from armed conflict, tensions or human actions. These crises often lead to violations of children's rights due to vulnerable conditions. These violations include non-provision of education, health or an adequate standard of living for children to enjoy their rights, and the effects of these violations may affect boys and girls differently.

Ghana has played host to refugees over the years and is currently host to some 13,000 refugees and asylum seekers from different countries. The release noted that the Ghanaian government has been trying to create a conducive atmosphere for children to grow up in a protected environment in such situations, Xinhua noted.

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