One of the resource persons, Kombian Somtuaka taking participants through child protection roles and media reportage
Madam Esther Nyarko, the Asokore Mampong Municipal Coordinating Director for Social Welfare has tasked parents, civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations as well as the media to help scale up issues affecting children.
By this, she noted that the needed attention would be given to them as well as other vulnerable people in the society.
Addressing a stakeholder meeting organized by Pledge Ghana, a non-governmental organization (NGO) affiliated to UNICEF in Amakom, a suburb of Kumasi last Wednesday, Madam Nyarko mentioned that children were being exploited both at the home and work places.
She noted that chores that are beyond them are often given to them at the house as well as workplaces of their parents or guardians, adding these are detrimental to their health, growth and psyche.
‘’We must be bold to talk about issues affecting our children in the house as well as everywhere because it will only take a consistent effort from us as stakeholders to draw attention of those who matter to put a stop to child abuse in our society’’, Madam Nyarko stressed.
ROLE:
Emphasizing on the role the public including what the media, transport unions as well as information service departments have to play, the Social Welfare officer tasked them to report issues of child abuse or molestation to the Police or the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) for attention.
According to her, it will be the shirking of responsibility for stakeholders to look on unconcerned when children and the vulnerable are treated badly in the society.
She therefore tasked the media to bring to light issues they find to be infringing on the health and lives of children as well as persons with any form of difficulty.
Transport Unions, who the coordinator noted mostly ferry these children from long distances in search of greener pastures to report such cases when they come across same.
EDUCATION:
Educating the media as well as information service workers drawn from about five districts in the Ashanti Region later, Mr Kombian Somtuaka, Public-Relations Officer for Pledge Ghana asked that the media apply caution when they are presenting issues about children on the airwaves.
According to him, the constitution of Ghana and the Act that sets up the Social Welfare Department are clear that the rights of children and the vulnerable should be protected at all times.
He stressed that media persons risk jail terms and court fines when in their pursuit to elicit information from a child or under-aged person they end up exposing their identities.
Mr Somtuaka also noted that the consent of the child as well as the guardian must be sought by the media anytime they want information from persons whose age fall below 18 years, adding that the right terminologies should also be used when reporting on children as well as the vulnerable since such persons should never be stigmatized.
What do you think about this piece? Share your comment in the comment thread and share the story using the social media buttons above. You may reach the editor on 0249579664. Thank you.
