The Parliamentary Select Committee on Human Rights has engaged stakeholders and residents in the Suhum and Abuakwa South municipalities in the Eastern Region as part of efforts to strengthen child protection systems and address concerns over child trafficking, child labour and other forms of exploitation.
The exercise, undertaken in collaboration with UNICEF Ghana, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA), seeks to gather firsthand information on challenges affecting children to inform parliamentary oversight and future legislative action.
The team, led by the Committee Chairman and Member of Parliament for Kumawu, Ernest Yaw Anim, interacted with community leaders, social welfare officers, law enforcement agencies, students and other stakeholders.
At Jato in the Suhum Municipality, discussions focused on child trafficking, child labour, early and forced marriage, and other forms of exploitation affecting children.
The Committee Chairman, Ernest Yaw Anim, called for dedicated budgetary allocations for child protection across all districts, stressing the need to adequately resource social welfare structures to enable them to effectively monitor and respond to cases involving vulnerable children.
He also called for stronger parental responsibility and improved coordination among families, communities, traditional authorities and institutions responsible for child welfare.
A representative of UNICEF Ghana, Pauliina Starvilahti, stressed the need for proper allocation and effective use of resources to make support services more accessible to children.
She also called for a review of policies to facilitate the work of duty bearers in protecting children’s rights, noting that Ghana is on the right track but could achieve better results if the necessary structures and policies are strengthened.
For ACEPA, Issifu Lampo expressed concern about weak enforcement against perpetrators of child abuse and inadequate support for victims.
He called for the retooling and resourcing of social welfare departments to enable them to effectively protect vulnerable children and respond to reported cases.
At Kwasi Kamfo in the Abuakwa South Municipality, the Member of Parliament for the area, Dr Kingsley Agyemang, appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to increase the number of LEAP beneficiaries to provide greater support for vulnerable children.
He also raised concerns about the influx of foreign teenagers into some mining communities, allegedly for illegal mining and prostitution, warning that some of these young people may be trafficked without knowing their destination or the nature of work they would be engaged in.
Dr Agyemang therefore called on security agencies to intensify monitoring and enforcement in mining communities to protect children from trafficking, exploitation and other forms of abuse.
The Parliamentary Committee says information gathered from the exercise will help strengthen child protection mechanisms and guide interventions to safeguard the rights and welfare of children across the country.
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