<<Print>>

Ms Mavis Ama Frimpong, the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, has called for child welfare policies that protect children at all stages of their development. According to her, such laws must take into consideration the various stages of development of the child, from birth through infancy to the adolescent stage and explained that, such a policy would ensure that all children including even those who could not complaint nor talk are protected . The Deputy Minister, who was speaking at the opening of a regional consultative forum on child and family welfare policy in Koforidua, said often laws on children targeted only the adult children who could talk and complain of any abuse, leaving children such as toddlers to their fate. She urged the participants at the forum to take into consideration the many reports of child abuse cases and to reflect on the past to come out with stringent suggestions that would inform a practical child welfare policy for ultimate protection of children. Ms Frimpong said despite the child protection policy framework, there were rampant reports of child rights abuses all over the country and added that it was even worrying that institutions that were supposed to protect children were sometimes incriminated in such reports. Participants at the forum were made up of members of the clergy, traditional leaders, civil society organizations and social workers and were expected to make inputs into final draft of the national child and family welfare policy which is in the offing. Mrs Florence Ayisi, member of the National Advisory Committee on Children, said the policy framework would look at the existing norms and practices that pertained in the cultural setting of every community to ensure that the law did take into consideration the accepted norm and traditions for the protection of children. She said it was important the existing structures were recognized because every community�s involvement was critical to the implementation of the policies to the letter for the protection of all children irrespective of their location. Mr David Dontoh, the Regional Director of the Department of Children of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, said the protection of children was the responsibility of all and urged traditional leaders and other community and society leaders to be interested in the welfare of children.