Streetism is a national disaster - Yeboah

Accra, Aug. 22, GNA - Ms Vida Yeboah, Co-ordinator of Forum for African Women Educationists (FAWE), Ghana Chapter, on Friday said it would be a national disaster and catastrophe if Ghana allowed her youth to remain on the streets.

Ms Yeboah was speaking at a roundtable discussion on the future, causes and effects of streetism organized by FAWE as part of its advocacy against streetism in Ghana. Participants were drawn from the District Assemblies, Regional Education Offices, Media Practitioners and some selected street girls in Accra.

She said: "The exposures in the street is generating a hard core of young people, who are gradually seeing it all and this has major negative implications for our national social structure" and called on all partners to act now to minimize the causes and incidence of streetism.

Mrs Ernestina Naana Hagan, Consultant, Gender Law and Development, said these children were denied their basic rights to life, health, shelter, education and to food.

She said the Convention on the Rights of the Child places a responsibility on the State to take appropriate steps to protect children from all forms of physical, mental and sexual abuse through the establishment of investigative and preventive services.

She, therefore, urged the authorities to come out with pragmatic measures to give them a trade that would add value to their lives. Most of the girls said they were forced by circumstances beyond their control to come to the cities to look for greener pastures.