By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, April 1, GNA – The Forum for African Women Educationalists Ghana (FAWE-Ghana), a non-government organisation, has called for intensified efforts to ensure the safeguarding of children at all levels of society.
The organisation emphasised the need for stronger policies, community engagement, and institutional frameworks to protect children from abuse, neglect and exploitation.
It called on the government through its agencies including the Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service and community structures to step down safeguarding issues to the lowest levels to ensure safe spaces were created for children.
Mr. Emmanuel Gazari, Senior Field Officer, FAWE-Ghana made the call in Bolgatanga during a capacity-building workshop to train some district officers of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Ghana Education Service (GES) and other stakeholders in child protection in the Upper East Region on safeguarding issues for children.
The workshop aimed to equip participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to identify, prevent, and respond to child protection concerns within their respective institutions and institute frameworks to safeguard children against abuses.
The two-day training workshop was part of the implementation of a five-year Sexual Health and Reproductive Education (SHARE) project by a consortium led by Right to Play, and supported by WaterAid Ghana, FHI360 and FAWE-Ghana with funding from the Global Affairs Canada.
The project, rolled out in the Kassena-Nankana and Builsa Municipalities, and Kassena-Nankana West and Bongo Districts, aims to advance gender equality by providing access to age-appropriate sexual and reproductive education and gender-responsive care for young people especially girls and young women.
The training covered key topics such as child rights, signs of abuse, reporting mechanisms, and best practices in safeguarding policies.
Participants engaged in interactive discussions and case studies designed to enhance their ability to handle child protection cases effectively.
Mr. Gazari emphasised the importance of child safeguarding in ensuring a safe and supportive environment for children, adding stakeholders in child protection in the institutions and community played crucial role in protecting children from harm.
“We are looking at a multisectoral approach to this issue of safeguarding and child protection where when an issue comes up all stakeholders will work collectively to resolve it,” he said.
Mr. Edmond Alagpulinsa, Senior Principal Investigator, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), who facilitated the training, urged the stakeholders to prioritise the welfare of children and design frameworks that protected them.
He said the stakeholders needed to incorporate safeguarding issues into their operations at all levels and to ensure that deliberate systems were strengthened to achieve desired results.
The participants expressed appreciation for the training, calling for more regular sessions to reinforce safeguarding principles and enhance collaboration in protecting children.
Dr Edmund Nellic Nyanwura, Kassena-Nankana Municipal Director of the Ghana Health Service, said the training had refreshed his knowledge to put in place measures to ensure that children were protected at the healthcare facilities.
Mr. Anthony Tognigah Ake, Deputy Director in charge of Supervision, Ghana Education Service, said the training would be replicated at the various schools to ensure safeguarding issues were prioritised.
GNA