Child Neglect is an Offense

Mrs Theresa Kufuor, wife of the President, says child neglect is an offence punishable by law and no parent, according to the Children's Act of 1998 (Act 560), shall deprive a child of his or her welfare, whether the parents of a child are married or not.

Mrs. Kufuor said every child has the right to life, dignity, respect, leisure, liberty, health, education and shelter from his or her parents.

"It is also the responsibility of parents to protect the child from neglect, discrimination, violence, abuse, exposure to physical and moral hazards and oppression, good guidance, care assistance and maintenance for the child and assurance of the child's survival and development."

Mrs. Kufuor was speaking at the opening of a two-day National Workshop on Early Childhood Care Development held in Accra yesterday.

She urged parents not to only see their responsibilities as paying school fees but to go beyond that to ensure that all development needs of their children are met - food, shelter, clothing, moral, psychological and emotional needs.

The Minister for Women and Children Affairs, Mrs. Gladys Asmah chairing the function said for Ghana to progress, there is the need to build and develop the capacity of the human resources effectively.

She said it is important to invest in children when they are developing their personalities, "that is why we are not only looking at the educational, health and nutritional needs of our children but are also concerned with their emotional and psychological development."

The Acting Executive Secretary of the Ghana National Commission on Children (GNCC), Miss Atawa Akyea said the GNCC has made some gains towards improving the well being of children in Ghana. The reduction in infant and child mortality rates is due mainly to the Expanded Programme on Immunisation.

She admitted that poverty is not a helpful environment for the promotion of children's welfare and development as was envisaged in the National Programme of Action for Children.