Ms Otiko Afisah Djaba, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection explained that Ghana had leaped forward towards holistic protection of the family system with the launch of three comprehensive policy interventions - Child and Family Welfare Policy; Justice for Children Policy and the National Aging Policy.

The Gender Minister told the Ghana News Agency in an interview to mark the International Day of the Family in Accra that the National Aging Policy (NAP), was to ensure that the socio-economic and human rights of the aged and aging were protected.

Ms Djaba said: “We need to take care of the aged to ensure that we all benefit from their accumulated wisdom, experiences and expertise.  “Therefore collectively we need to deal with the problems of aging which includes; exclusion, marginalisation, degrading treatment, lack of regular income, insecurity, lack of access to health, housing and many other challenges which deny them the peace to enjoy their old age”.

The Gender Minister said: “It was for the purpose of addressing these challenges and providing the aged some reasonable access to health, dignity, and continuing contribution to society that the NAP was adopted”.

The International Day of Families proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993 is observed on May 15. The Day provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes affecting families

The 2017 observation which is on the general theme: “Families, education and well-being,” seeks to focus on the role of families and family-oriented policies in promoting education and overall well-being of their members. Ms Djaba also noted that the Child and Family Welfare Policy also tapped into the positive traditional values, principles and protective practices and mechanism of effective system that resonated with Ghanaians and service providers.

It focused on the child and family welfare system, institutional arrangements, as well as research, advocacy, monitoring and evaluation process. Ms Djaba said the policy also gave legal classification of a child, childhood, child and family welfare system, child protection, child protection system strengthening, community, community structures, family, harm, social protection, welfare, well-being and young people, “these have all been put in place to protect the family system.

On the justice for children policy, Ms Djaba noted that all children would be given equal justice through formal and informal structures to ensure that children who came in conflict with the law received justiceMs Djaba said the government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is committed to ensure that all children, irrespective of their social, economic, religious or academic status, live in an environment of peace and freedom with unending opportunities.

She therefore appealed to religious leaders, Civil Society Organisations, traditional leaders, and the media to join the government in its quest to make the Ghanaian family system continue to play critical role in the life of everybody from birth to death. “No one is born without a family. Families make children’s future. A family is the only place where children study a lot after school. Families teach children about habits, disciplines which not only help them to find a job, but also helped them to live holistic lives in future.

“So the family is very important for children. New born babies see their parents first and thereafter spend most of their time with their families until they go to school. “Good and well organised families make a better society. A good family is a great example of the whole society. Father, Mother, children all of whom have to work in order to build a perfect family. If any one of them failed, then the whole family would collapse,” the Gender Minister noted.

Ms Djaba expressed concern about current statistics from the Care Reform Initiative unit of the Department of Social Welfare that, more than half the number of children in orphanages had parents or other family members who could take care of them.

She said the Department of Social Welfare had also recorded an increase in juvenile delinquency in recent years whilst a very high percentage of children who found themselves in conflict with the law came from broken homes.“We should all therefore strengthen our families, promote its education and wellbeing for a better society,” Ms Djaba stated.

The Day also seeks to raise awareness of the role of families in promoting early childhood education and life-long learning opportunities for children and youth. It highlights on the importance of all caregivers in families whether parents, grandparents or siblings and the importance of parental education for the welfare of children.