By Damian Avevor
The Centre for Human Development (CEHUD) of the National Union of Ghana Diocesan Priests’ Association (NUGDPA), has organised a day’s Seminar on Child Protection for about 40 Catholic Headteachers and Teachers from the Ho, Jasikan and Keta-Akatsi Dioceses in the Volta Region.
The Seminar, funded by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), was on the theme: Education on child Protection for Teachers.
The Seminar held at the Bishop Konings Guest House at Ho, was facilitated by Rev. Fr. Alfons Amanor, SVD, a Psychotherapist Consultant at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra and Mr. Israel Akrobortu, Volta Regional Director for Children at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
The topics discussed included Dignity and Psychology of the Child, Convention on the Rights of the Child, Rights and Responsibilities of Children and Parents, Welfare Principles and Activities of Child Protection.
During his presentation, Fr. Amanor stressed the need for Parents to always love their children by lifting their image, saying that could be done by observing and understanding their behaviour.
He noted that suicides were reducing among adults while there was an increase among young people because of lack of parental love and care. He advised Teachers to endeavour to help sustain the love of children in School if such love was not coming from their parents or Guardians at home.
Urging them to also embrace children without bruise, he said the protection of the child from all forms of abuse was necessary to make him or her to develop to the highest potential.
Fr. Amanor noted that the interest and dignity of the child should be a priority to them as Teachers, bemoaning people who saw child birth as painful hence some attempt to abort, which he described as a great disservice to society.
In order to build a better connection between mothers and their babies, he advocated for a one year maternity leave for mothers so that they could exclusively breastfeed their babies.
Alternatively, he suggested that Authorities and Stakeholders should consider building Day Care Centres near Ministries, Departments and Agencies, in Schools and Hospitals as well as other vantage points.
This, he noted, would enable Mothers to be close to their babies and avoid long separation between them during working hours, stating that the baby’s interest should be paramount and not compromised.
Fr. Amanor urged the participants to ensure that children were protected from all forms of abuse since they were the harnessing element, development and life wire of humanity, civilization of a nation and of any group.
He advised parents and teachers to be good role models to children, saying that poor upbringing of children could affect their adulthood.
On his part, Mr. Akrobortu said Ghana had relatively comprehensive national laws in place covering children in need of protection but lamented that there was a wide disconnect between law and practice and between law and community approach to dealing with child and family welfare issues.
He noted that although the Children’s Act makes it mandatory for all cases of suspected child abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment to be reported and investigated by the Social Welfare Department, this is not functioning in practice.
“There are currently no standard protocols or procedures requiring Police, Teachers, Health Care Professionals and Child Care Providers to report suspected cases of abuse to social welfare authorities”, he said.
He reminded Teachers that as primary care givers, the best interest of the child under their care should always come first in all matters concerning children.
The Seminar was part of the Centre’s ongoing formation programme for various segments of society including Teachers.
The first phase was for Priests and other Pastoral Workers and there were plans to raise funds to extend the training to cover Children for them to know their rights and prevention of child abuses.
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Mensah, Director of CEHUD, called on the participants to share the knowledge they had obtained with parents and teachers and School Management Committees to champion the protection of children.
He said Teachers were important to every community as Care Givers and those who formed the heart of children and urged them to repose confidence in children.
Dignitaries present were Rev. Fr. Samuel Akoto-Mensah, Director of Religious Education and Catechetical Unit at the National Catholic Secretariat (NCS) and Mr. Gustav Asem, Acting Volta Regional Manager of Catholic Education Unit.
