Government committed to eliminating harmful practices against children

Mrs. Cecilia Dapaah, Caretaker Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, has reiterated Government’s commitment to eliminating harmful practices against children.

She said Government through the Ministry had implemented many programmes and enacted legislations to address harmful practices, including child marriage, forced marriage, and faith or belief linked to child abuse.

Mrs. Dapaah said this in a speech read on her behalf during the celebration of the 2022 Day of the African Child organised by the Gender Ministry and its partners in Accra.

The Day, set aside by the African Union and celebrated on June 16, every year, is to commemorate the 1976 student uprising in Soweto, South Africa, against an apartheid regime that had skewed education towards the white minority.

The theme for this year’s celebration is: “Eliminating Harmful Practices Affecting Children: Progress on Policy and Practices since 2013.”

Mrs. Dapaah said, however, that the programmes and legislations were not enough, especially because harmful practices were persistent practices often based on cultural and traditional values.

She said policies such as the Child and Family Welfare Policy (2015), Juvenile Justice Policy (2016) led to a common understanding between Government, traditional authorities, community and religious leaders on the need to end child marriages in the country.

Mrs. Dapaah said that the government has established reporting structures within the community, including reporting through the child marriage referral pathway of the International Society for Social Paediatrics and Child Health (ISSOP).

She underscored the need for citizens to help eliminate harmful practices, which had short- and long-term impacts, especially on children’s ability to learn and socialise, which could transition to adverse consequences later in life.

The Caretaker Minister noted that child marriage remained one of the most harmful practices against children because it predisposed girls to abuse in their marriages and deprived them of their childhood.

"Child brides are vulnerable to and experience physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. They can be socially isolated because their husbands restrict their movements and who they can socialize with," she added.

Child marriage prevalence in Ghana is at a rate of 19 percent, 1 in 5 girls marry before their 18th birthday while 5 percent are first married or in union before age 15.

Mrs. Dapaah expressed worry about the statistics of child marriages, hence the nationwide drive to strategise and coordinate efforts to end it.

She said since 2015, an audience of 300,000 had been sensitised by the Ghanaians Against Child Abuse (GACA) Secretariat on the harmful effects of child marriage.

The Caretaker Minister encouraged the public to report all forms of harmful practices against children to the police or call toll-free numbers 0800111222, 0800800800, and 0800900900 to the Orange Support Centre and the Single Window Call Centre would refer them to appropriate services including shelter for victims.

Dr. Afisah Zakaraih, Chief Director of the Ministry, said the celebration would be carried out nationwide at the community, regional and national levels through community forums and radio discussions to address issues hindering the development of children, particularly harmful cultural practices.

She assured all children in the country of the Government’s protection and promotion of their rights.