By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Sekondi, Sept 9, GNA – Madam Faustina Yorke Awortwe, the Western Regional Director of the Department of Children says special needs children are not Children from the gods (Spirit children) or other perceived sources.
“Rather, children born with deformities can exhibit different abilities when assisted by a stronger family support system.”
Madam Awortwe said this in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Sekondi to mark National Children’s Day celebration in the Western Region.
She said Ghana was a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child which imposes a responsibility on the country to protect children.
However, harmful cultural practices that endangered the lives of children still existed.
She said the establishment of the Ghana National Commission on Children (GNCC), presently operating as the Department of Children (DOC) under the auspices of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MOGCSP) was therefore to ensure that children were protected.
The National Children’s Day in Ghana emphasised the importance of nurturing and developing the nation’s young citizens, while also upholding the principles enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
She added that ensuring the protection of children from all forms of violence and promoting their rights to participation, provision, and care, as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Children was paramount.
“The National Children’s Day serves as a poignant reminder to acknowledge and tackle the obstacles confronting children, while underscoring the vital role their well-being plays in the broader developmental landscape.”
The Director said it would help to entrench previous steps taken and redirect the course, guided by lessons learnt.
This year’s theme is “Building Bridges: Fostering Child Rights through Cultural, Religious and Traditional Leadership.”
She said the initiative was a comprehensive effort to explore and understand the intricate dynamics between culture, traditions, and child protection.
It was also to primarily examine the intersections and interactions between cultural norms, traditional beliefs and child protection and the nuances that elaborated themselves in children’s enjoyment of their rights such as killing of children with deformities (Spirit Children), child Marriage and corporal punishment, among others.
GNA