NGOs want irresponsible parents prosecuted

Some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are calling for the prosecution of irresponsible parents whose wards eventually become liabilities to society.

They argued that it will be challenging to curb criminal activities in the country until there are laws put in place to arrest and prosecute parents who fail to provide basic social needs such as shelter, food and education for their children.

They stated that parents must also be held responsible for the actions and inactions of their children since the majority of miscreants in society are as a result of irresponsible parenthood.

The NGOs include Action against Rural Poverty, Wiland Foundation, Passion for Sound Minds, Bethany Christian Services, Curious Minds and Rays of Hope and Tehayon Foundation.

This was made known at the 2019 Ghana NGOs Forum on the theme 'Preventing Child Neglect: Whose Responsibility'.

The forum which was organised by O Africa in collaboration with the Department of Gender, Children and Social Protection, with funding from the European Union (EU) formed part of `activities aimed at implementing a two-year project titled 'Promoting and Protecting Child Rights in Ghana'.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mrs Cynthia Morrison, advised teachers and parents against the mistreatment children.

She observed that some parents and teachers are too aggressive in the upbringing of their children and this she said goes a long way in building the child's self-confidence and self-esteem.

Mrs Morrison said although children could be difficult to deal with sometimes, the onus laid on parents, to correct their wards without being aggressive.

She said lack of basic needs such as food and shelter affects the upbringing of children and appealed to parents to adequately provide these basics to their children.

Mrs Morrison also indicated that the government was also putting in place the necessary legal policies to ensure early childhood development that seeks to protect child right and social protection.

The Spokesperson for the O Africa NGO Summit, Mr Kingsley Obeng-Kyereh said, the summit brought together NGOs from different sectors to support child development.

He said Ghana was the first country to ratify the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child, noting that this year, the convention attained 30 years of existence.

He said due to that, there were significant activities across the globe to mark the convention and assess the achievements of child rights in various countries.

The forum brought together about 1,200 participants from across the country.