Abusing blessings, beating the future
Two of the most popular sayings about children in Ghana are that children are a blessing from God, and children are the future.
Recent occurrences, however, force us to question the reality of these sayings.
News on abuse of children in Ghana has become a constant, inescapable feature in major news bulletins and daily newspapers.
For social media, the sun rarely sets without a viral video or pictures of a child being gruesomely abused.
The most heart-wrenching part of these incidents is the age of the victims and the sheer gravity of abuses meted out.
A four-year-old and her seven-year-old sister being sexually abused in Bawku, a six-year-old having hot water poured on her private parts for bedwetting in Winneba, a 12-year-old tied up with nylon rope and beaten in Takoradi, a 13-year-old beaten to death for eating the leftover food of his older sibling at Krokobite, are just a few examples from the past few months.
The victims of these brutal acts are left with deep emotional trauma, severe physical injuries, a stolen future, and even death.
Question
The big question begging for an answer is, what has led to the recent surge in children’s rights abuses across Ghana?
Are parents and guardians simply exerting their frustrations on children?
Or is this justified under the guise of ‘discipline’?
What constitutes discipline and correction, and at what time does it become an abuse?
Should we even ‘punish’ a child who lacks the capacity to understand the nature and consequences of their actions?
It must be emphasised that the objective of punishment transcends just inflicting pain or suffering, to using it as a tool to achieve a desired result. Punishment must therefore be a means to an end, not an end to itself.
True punishment must aim to deter, reform, rehabilitate and prevent the occurrence of wrongdoing.
For children, it must also be positive, giving them the opportunity to learn from the punishment.
A child doing the entire dishes because he left a plate unwashed is a punishment, but also helps the child to learn a domestic skill.
How?
But how do we get out of abusing all our blessings and permanently beating the future?
The answer certainly does not lie in enacting new laws, because we have enough.
Aside from being the first country in the world to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Ghana’s own Constitution, 1992 (Article 28), is entirely dedicated to children’s rights.
We have subsequently passed the Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560), and other statutes, all geared towards protecting the rights of children.
The solution, therefore, lies in the effective enforcement of these existing laws.
People who blatantly abuse the rights of children must not go unpunished.
They must be penalised in accordance with the law to serve as a deterrent to others.
The justice delivery system must recognise the vulnerability of children and implement adequate measures to make the court process more child-friendly.
There should also be intensive public education and comprehensive campaigns on the protection of children’s rights.
The state must demonstrate genuine interest by committing resources to bodies such as the Social Welfare Department and partnering NGOs for this purpose.
Campaigns
These campaigns must be inclusive, aimed at educating all stakeholders on their respective roles.
Children themselves must be taught the steps they have to take when their rights are violated.
Community leaders and members must also be educated on how to promptly identify and report incidents of abuse and collectively build protective mechanisms for children.
Parents and guardians must be educated on the rights of children, anger management, and positive non-violent discipline.
Victims of abuse must also receive robust support to aid their recovery.
The state, through the Police, must take a keen interest in the prosecution of child rights abuse cases, provide essential medical support for those who sustain injuries, and provide dedicated counselling and therapy for those suffering from trauma and psychological harm.
Children’s rights are human rights and must always be protected.
All stakeholders must collaborate urgently to address the rising tide of abuse, for the protection of our children is fundamental to the stability and long-term human capital development of the entire nation.
Advocacy Officer, Challenging Heights.
E-mail: annobil@challengingheights.org
