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The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) and its partners are working to eliminate all forms of injustices including teenage pregnancy, human trafficking and other forms of abuse meted out to children.

The step, as part of the broad measures instituted to celebrate the 2020 “National Children’s Day,” is expected to be carried out at the Regional and National levels, with awareness creation on the need for the public to act now to protect children.

A statement from the MoGCSP, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the activities for the celebration include a community sensitisation on the need to end human trafficking using tool kits on August 28, 2020, at the KEEA Municipal Assembly in the Central Region and a ‘National Stakeholders’ Forum at the GNAT Hall, Accra on August 31, 2020.

The partners include UNICEF, Human Trafficking Secretariat, Plan Ghana, and World Vision International.

The National Children’s Day was introduced on August 31, 1979, as a key activity of the then Ghana National Commission of Children (GNCC) which was established to oversee the general welfare and development of children.

It was also charged to co-ordinate all essential services for children in the country to promote the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child.

The GNCC in 2005 was converted to the Department of Children by the GNCC Repeal Act, 2005 (Act 701) as an implementing Department responsible for programmes and projects for the survival, protection, participation and development of children through advocacy, and research.

They were also responsible for policy formulation through networking and collaboration with stakeholders to improve the welfare and full integration of Children into the development process.

According to the statement, the main focus for this year’s National Children’s Day celebration is to take stock of the achievements, challenges and way forward of the Child and Family Welfare Policy (CFWP) for improvement on the theme: “5 years of implementing the CFWP; the achievement, challenges and the way forward”.

The celebration is expected at the Regional and National levels with awareness creation of the public to act now to protect children from teenage pregnancy, human trafficking and abuse amidst COVID-19.

“The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection would like to use this opportunity to congratulate all stakeholders who have delivered on their role to ensure the strengthening of the child and family welfare system in the country.

We further urge all to continue to strive for a better Ghana for our children.

“Our children need protection now more than ever during this COVID-19 era, we must all endeavour to protect them by ensuring they adhere to the COVID-19 prevention protocols and ensure that, they continue to learn whilst at home,” the statement said.