Suhum Field Visit Exposes Gaps In Child Protection – Human Rights Committee Chairman

The Human Rights Committee of Parliament is undertaking a field monitoring exercise to strengthen child protection across the country, Chairperson of the Committee, Hon. Ernest Yaw Anim has said.

According to Hon. Anim, the engagement was put together by the Committee in collaboration with UNICEF, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

He said the exercise has become necessary following alarming statistics received from the Social Welfare Department across most Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

Speaking on the sidelines of the exercise, Hon. Anim explained that as part of its oversight responsibility, the Committee last year began field visits to two districts – Ayensuano in the Eastern Region and Bibiani Bekwai in the Western North Region – where the findings were very critical.

That, he said, necessitated a second round of field monitoring and capacity building this year.

He said the current programme has two components – building the capacity of Members of Parliament in the child protection ecosystem and field engagements with Assemblies and communities.

Hon. Anim said a capacity building workshop for MPs has already been held, where members were equipped with the skills and knowledge to engage various actors within the child protection space.

This was followed by a field engagement in the Suhum Municipal Assembly, where the Committee met with all relevant stakeholders.

According to him, a major issue that emerged was the lack of resources for child protection, including at the Social Welfare Department which is mandated to lead such interventions at the district level.

The Committee, he added, also heard complaints about cases of child marriage, teenage pregnancy and child abuse handled over the past year, including a disturbing case where a father allegedly used a machete to cut off the hand of his child.

Hon. Anim said such cases underscore the need for Parliament to support the Executive and other institutions to protect children.

He stressed that while the core mandate of the Human Rights Committee is to protect and promote human rights across the country, children's rights remain a fundamental priority that the Committee will continue to focus on.