Participants at a child protection workshop have called on the government and the various Assemblies to commit more resources to children’s programmes and activities in the country.
They noted with concern that the lack of funding had stalled a lot of activities concerning child protection and development from the district through the regional to the national level.
The one-day intensive capacity building workshop was organized in Ho by SOS Children’s Villages, a Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) in collaboration with Friends of Adaklu, also an NGO operating in the Adaklu district.
It was on the theme: “Enhancing Institutional Capacity of Community Structures For Effective Child Protection at All Levels”,and was under the auspices of the Department of Children and the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC).
Participants of the workshop were the Adaklu district and Volta Regional Child Protection Committee (CPC) members.
It was aimed at building the capacity of members of the two committees to coordinate, monitor and respond to child protection issues effectively and efficiently in the district and the region as a whole.
It was also to strengthen collaboration among stakeholders in advocating for the protection and well-being of all children especially those who lacked parental care.
The participants were also of the view that increasing budgetary allocation for children related issues would enable children get the best start in life.
They also called for resourcing and retooling of the Department of Children and the Department of Social Welfare to enable them perform their mandates effectively and efficiently.
“It is pathetic to hear that officers of these departments sometimes rely on their resources for official works,” they said.
Alhaji Avona Mohammed Akape, the Chief Director of the VRCC, stated in his opening remarks that the most important asset of any country was its children and called for their protection from harm and the promotion of their well-being.
Mr Anthony Owusu Gyamfi, National Programmes Director of SOS Children’s Villages, said equipping members of CPCs with the requisite resources, knowledge and skills would empower them to protect children from harm, promote their interests, and also build them up.
Madam Agartha Agbogah, a participant, told the Ghana News Agency that she had gained more insight into child protection issues and that the workshop really made her well prepared for her task of caring for children.
