The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has embarked on sensitization exercise in some communities in the Agona West Constituency to educate the people on the rights of the child.
The exercise took the Ministry to communities such as Agona Nyakrom, Nkum, Kwaman, Bobikuma, Kukurantumi, Abugyakrom, Otsenkoran and Ahamadonko.
This was revealed by the Minister, Cynthia Mamle Morrison who is also the Member of Parliament for the area when she addressed the Chiefs and people of Agona Nyakrom during the celebration of their Annual Akwambo Festival.
She hinted that her Ministry intends to dialogue with traditional rulers as major stakeholders in future exercises, to help combat the problem of child abuse such as rape, early marriage and teenage pregnancy, among others.
She bemoaned the situation where young girls are swindled by some agents to countries like Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Turkey and Libya among others, under the guise of providing them greener pastures
She disclosed that these girls are forced to do menial jobs such as house helps and often raped by their masters and members of their families.
She recounted instances where some of these girls are forced to have sex with dogs and videoed for sale by their masters.
She disclosed that in instances where these girls resist the acts, they are falsely accused by their masters are sent to the police station where they are maltreated, often resulting in mental disorder in some of the girls.
She has therefore appealed to parents, particularly mothers not to be enthused by the promises by the so-acclaimed agents who promise their children a journey of roses.
On her part, the Municipal Chief Executive for Agona West, Mrs. Justina Marigold Assan assured that the Assembly has put in place mechanism to help support the education of brilliant but needy students, particularly the girl child.
She disclosed hinted by this, the Assembly would provide items such as mattress, chop box, trunk and provisions for any girl in the Junior High School who would obtain aggregate 9 in the final BECE examination
She said the effort is to complement the NPP government’s Free Senior High School policy for every Ghanaian child.
She later made a personal donation of GH 2,000.00 Cedis and another GH 2,000.00 on behalf of the Assembly towards the celebration of the festival.
By: Dominic Akuffo
