Let there be peace

As the nation prepares towards Election 2024, it is imperative that the Ghanaian child’s call for peace is also heard and heeded.

Being voiceless members of society, yet the owners and builders of tomorrow’s Ghana, their appeal for peace before, during and after the election must be amplified on their behalf.

Children of Ghana expect that eligible voters – mummies and daddies, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunties, grandmas and grandpas, family and friends – will consider and make choices that promote and secure their future.

Aside from party affiliations and in the face of all the biases, children are praying and hoping that Ghanaians will choose a leader whose policies and ideologies favour their survival, development, protection and participation.

To promote the thriving of children, first of all, there must be a practical commitment to peace, not just by word of mouth or the signing of a peace pact, but by taking steps and making pragmatic plans to prevent violence and de-escalate any potential provocative behaviours.

Interestingly, the election is happening at a time that the world is observing the 16 days of activism to end violence against women and girls. It is known that gender-based violence is rife in places where there is conflict. 

Violence

Violence of all forms against women and girls exists in unstable war-torn environments ranging from physical brutalities to sexual violence, kidnapping and slavery. Even more dangerously, scars from the sight and experience of violence are left in the hearts, minds and emotions of all, especially children. Many end up orphaned without hope of a future.

In Yemen, for instance, where there have been ongoing conflicts, children live in perpetual fear and mental unwellness that has left them overly worried about their safety and the safety of everyone around them. 

“Seeing the destruction and rubble left by the war in the region, especially the remains of a school that a child used to attend, has contributed to the deterioration of children’s psychosocial well-being. Children are beginning to exhibit signs of chronic anxiety, fear and insecurity,” said a school principal from Taiz, Yemen, in an interview with a non-profit organisation known as Save the Children.

In Gaza, the mental health of children and adolescents is being pushed beyond breaking point as a result of the recent outbreak of war in that area.

This prevailing state of fear and anxiety can lead to depression, behavioural problems, uninhibited aggression, bed wetting, difficulty falling asleep, nightmares and even suicidal attempts.  

This is only secondary to hunger and starvation, loss of shelter and belongings, limited movement if one cannot flee, sicknesses yet little to no access to health care, separation from family and friends, seeking refugee status anywhere and everywhere, and sadly painful bloodshed and needless loss of lives.

This is why trending of toy-gun-wielding Ghanaian men on social media must be utterly condemned and this misbehaviour nipped in the bud by our security services with alacrity. Such an expensive joke must not be allowed at all if we understand the repercussions. Such acts have the potential of turning innocent men into trigger-happy ones.

Children need adults in their lives to be calm and self-controlled, and willing to seek proper redress for any concerns in this period.

Condolences to the Ghana Freedom Party on the loss of their flag bearer Madam Akua Donkor who will be remembered for her tenacity. Best wishes to the remaining 12 candidates. May the candidate who genuinely has the best interest of children at heart win.

For God’s sake, this is only an election, not a war. Let us all be reminded that peace is the greatest weapon for development that any person can have, as succinctly put by Nelson Mandela.

The writer is a Child Development Expert/ Fellow at Zero-to-three Academy, USA.
E-mail: nanaesi_19@yahoo.co.uk