Communities urged to join fight against child trafficking, exploitative labour

By Evans Worlanyo Ameamu  

Keta (V/R), Aug. 26, GNA – Madam Faustina Borkloe, former Keta Municipal Social Welfare Director, has called for stronger collaboration among government institutions, traditional authorities and community structures to protect children from abuse, neglect and exploitation in the Volta Region.  

Speaking at a stakeholder engagement on child protection in the Volta Region, she explained that a child was any person below 18 years, while child protection meant keeping children safe from harm, injury, abuse, neglect and exploitation that could affect their physical, emotional, mental or social well-being.  

Madam Borkloe, one of the facilitators at a community stakeholders’ workshop in Keta organised by the International Justice Mission (IJM), said the Department of Social Welfare had the mandate to help integrate disadvantaged and vulnerable persons into mainstream society.  

“These vulnerable persons include children, women, unemployed youth, persons with disabilities, and poor older persons, into the mainstream of society to curb the challenges faced during such situations,” she said.  

She stressed that children must be protected because they represented the future of families, communities and the nation, noting that protection helped instil discipline and hard work, develop future professionals, and preserve the traditions and values of society.  

She took participants through the fundamental rights of children, including the right to a name and identity, parental care, education and health, the right to be heard, and protection from exploitative labour, harmful cultural practices and child marriage. She noted that the minimum legal age for marriage remained 18 years.  

“Children are vulnerable because they often had no voice in society, they are physically weaker than adults, and depend on parents or caregivers for their basic needs, which placed a duty on adults to act in the best interest of every child.”  

She defined child abuse as any act or failure to act that caused, or was likely to cause, physical or mental harm to a child, noting that abuse could occur at home, school, workplace or within communities.  

Madam Borkloe outlined various forms of abuse, including physical and emotional abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, medical abuse, child labour and trafficking. She explained that hazardous work such as mining, quarrying and heavy porterage was strictly reserved for persons aged 18 years and above.  

She cautioned parents and caregivers against using insults, threats and excessive punishment to correct children, urging them instead to rely on guidance, counselling and reasonable discipline.  

Madam Borkloe cited the 1992 Constitution, Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560), Juvenile Justice Act, 2003 (Act 653), Domestic Violence Act, 2007 (Act 732), and Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694), as key laws underpinning child protection in Ghana.  

She named institutions responsible for child protection, including the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Department of Social Welfare, CHRAJ, DOVVSU, Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service and traditional authorities, and outlined their respective roles in safeguarding children.  

Madam Borkloe said the Municipal Assembly served as the coordinating body for child protection activities within its jurisdiction, while the Department of Social Welfare acted as the secretariat responsible for receiving, assessing and referring cases involving vulnerable children.  

She explained that the District or Municipal Child Protection Committee, also known as the Child Panel, played a key role in collecting data, monitoring activities, and supporting the early identification and referral of child protection concerns at the local level.  

Madam Borkloe walked participants through the general referral pathway, which begins with identifying the concern, ensuring the child’s immediate safety, listening to the child calmly, and referring the case to the Department of Social Welfare, DOVVSU or Ghana Health Service for appropriate action.  

She stressed that cases involving sexual abuse, trafficking or serious injury must be referred to the police without delay.  

Madam Borkloe described child protection as a shared responsibility requiring the collective effort of parents, families, schools, traditional authorities, government institutions and non-governmental organisations to prevent abuse and promote the welfare of every child in the Keta Municipality and beyond.  

GNA   

Edited by: Maxwell Awumah/Audrey Dekalu