Participants at a Regional Consultation
Stakeholders workshop held in Bolgatanga, Upper East Region has called on Government to increase the budget allocation for the protection and
promotion of children�s rights.
At a stakeholders� workshop organised by the Ministry of Women and Children (MOWAC) to compile Ghana�s Report on the Rights of the child to the
United Nation, it was observed that Government�s budget allocation for children were limited and insufficient to respond to national and local
priorities for the protection and promotion of children�s rights. Committee.
The participants indicated that better future development depended on children and therefore government must consider it significant in budgeting adequate resources and logistics for the welfare of children.
Ms. Florence Ayisi Quartey, Assistant Research Officer of the Department of Children, indicated that Ghana had made some strides in the
area of child protection and promotion of their rights, including, child Education and anti Child labour and trafficking programmes.
Government, she noted, had also introduced a lot of pro-poor interventions including the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP),
Metro Mass transport system for the free transportation of school children, National Health Insurance Scheme, Micro Finance and National Employment Programme among others.
She said despite these achievements, some challenges including child related problems such as child trafficking, child labour, poor education
infrastructure, drug abuse and sexual exploitation were rife.
According to Ms. Quartey, what was needed to combat child trafficking and other child related problems was to provide adequate financial, human
and material resources to agencies, government departments and ministries responsible for activities and policies concerning the welfare, protection and development of children.
She disclosed that MOWAC was currently undergoing re-engineering process to enhance its capacity and efficiency in the monitoring and
coordination of gender mainstreaming activities and improve the welfare of women and children.