The call was initially made by Martha Crentsil-Acquah, Head of News and Current Affairs at Adom Brands of the Multimedia Group, during a National Dialogue on Advocacy and Child Protection held in Accra.

In her submission, Martha Crentsil-Acquah noted that delays within the current judicial system often deny children timely justice. She argued that setting up dedicated courts focused solely on child-related cases would help address the challenge.

Martha added that stronger collaboration among Civil Society Organisations and NGOs would create a united front capable of influencing government action.

Supporting the proposal, Bright Appiah said findings from a recent study conducted by Child Rights International revealed that defilement remains the most prevalent offence among 23 major child abuse cases recorded across the country.

He stressed that the slow pace at which such cases are handled underscores the urgent need for specialised courts to ensure swift justice and better protection for children.

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According to the organisation, the act is unfortunate and must be condemned in no uncertain terms.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Executive Director, Bright Appiah.

The statement explained the reward will be given after the Ghana Police Service has verified the information provided.

“In support of the Ghana Police Service’s effort to locate the individual, Child Rights International, through the office of the Executive Director, is publicly staking a reward claim of ¢10,000 to any individual who will be able to provide details that will lead to the location of the individual in question, the person that recorded the video and the individual seated watching the scene unfold,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service, who is on a manhunt for the suspect whose identity is not yet known, has also offered GH¢ 2,000 reward to anyone who can provide information that will lead to his arrest.

Child Rights International has since commended and applauded the swift response of the Police on the matter.

The respondents cited jobs, education, and better standards of living elsewhere as the reasons for wanting to migrate from the country.

The survey focused on the expectations of some 11,288 children between the ages of 12 and 17 in all the 16 regions of Ghana.

About 48% of the sampled population represented females while 52% represented males.

According to the report, 94% of the children stated that they were worried about getting a job in the next two decades.

A report authored in 2010 shows that 56% of doctors trained in Ghana and 24% of the nurses trained in Ghana were now working abroad.

Similarly, the report shows that 60% of faculty positions in polytechnics, for instance, and 40% of positions in university remain vacant because there are not enough qualified people to take up those positions.

At the time, it was estimated that the number of Ghanaians living abroad ranges between one-and-a-half and three million.

Below is the full statement:

This was in a research work conducted by Child Rights International on children between the ages of 0 to 18.

“The nationwide data shows that from March 11 to November 9, 2020, out of 49,202 who contracted the COVID-19 virus, 2,180 children below 18 years have contracted the virus representing 4.43% of the total contraction rate in Ghana,” it said.

The research indicated most of the kids who contracted the virus were asymptomatic and were not hospitalised.

“Majority of them are girls but if you also look at those who have died as a result of COVID, majority of them are boys.

“So that is the outlook of COVID situation in Ghana and what we have not determined is whether or not children have the capacity or are potential spreaders or transmitters of the COVID to their age cohorts or to the vulnerable,” it noted.

The research titled the state of ‘Covid-19: the state of children in Ghana’ used both quantitative and qualitative methods for collecting data.

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As the data collected sampled 589 communities, towns and cities, in addition to nationwide data on COVID-19 provided by the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

Secondary data from other sources were included in the research.

The findings follow a similar research by the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens in collaboration with the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research.

Their research shows that about 1.2 million Ghanaians living within Accra and Kasoa have been exposed to the infectious coronavirus disease.

Addressing a section of the media, the Executive Director of CRI, Bright Appiah, condemned with no uncertain terms the conduct exhibited by some students.

He revealed that recent viral videos of misconduct merit immediate steps to be taken in the country’s educational system.

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As a result, CSI is recommending that the Ghana Education Service (GES), in partnership with school authorities, focus on establishing a programme that addresses the social needs of students in Senior High Schools (SHS).

The group believes the GES System must open discussions on rules and regulations and subject them to review in order to conform to new development and everyday issues.