World Vision to partner Gender Ministry against child exploitation

World Vision Ghana has expressed its readiness to support the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to fight early marriage, trafficking and exploitation of children.

The pledge of support was made when a delegation of the organization paid a courtesy call on Mrs Della Sowah, the Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection on Wednesday.

Mr Hubert Charles, the National Director of World Vision, said that, though the trend of early marriage and pregnancy was detestable to most victims and their peers, they were powerless against it.

He said a World Vision research showed that the phenomenon is more prevalent in the northern parts of the country.

Mrs Della Sowah, however pointed out that, early marriage, pregnancy and child exploitation were steadily gaining ground in other regions, and that, focus on only the northern sector of the country would not be advisable.

Mr Hubert Charles said his outfit is also ready to train young girls in the north and to empower them economically to reduce the spate of migration to become porters in urban areas due to the lack of economic activity.

Mr Kwesi Armo-Himbson, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, pointed out that an intervention in the past to give porters vocational training had not been very successful because they had not found those skills in good demand upon their return to the communities.

The World Vision National Director noted that while all these occurrences were present, Ghana was a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

He also made the observation that journalists were not analytical enough and did not report very comprehensively on child exploitation.

He said his outfit was going to collaborate with the Ghana Journalists’ Association to build the capacity of journalists and also institute an award for reporting in that area.

World Vision Ghana is a subsidiary of World Vision International, a California-based international development and advocacy organization.