10th anniversary of the Children's Act launched

Accra, Aug. 28, GNA - Madam Theresa Amerley Tagoe, Deputy Minister of Greater Accra Region, has launched activities to mark the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Children's Act. Some of the activities lined up for the programme include counselling of vulnerable children, interaction with presidential aspirants, fun games, free birth registration and immunization of babies. The paramount activity of the celebration is the launch of a national competition among Ghanaian children to design a logo for the Children Department of the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC).

Speaking at the launch, Madam Tagoe said the winner of the competition as well as the school would be duly rewarded and urged the department to work out the modalities about the competition. She expressed her appreciation to the Ghana Health Service, Births and Deaths Registry, the Police Hospital and the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit for their assistance towards the celebrations. Giving a brief background to the creation of the Department of Children, Mr. Valentine Kuuzume, Chief Director of MOWAC said on August 26, 1979, the government passed a decree establishing the Ghana National Commission on Children and adopted August 31 as the National Children's Day.

He said in 1998, the Parliament upon further deliberations on child related issues passed the Children's Act which provided a list of enforceable children's rights and obligations of parents towards their wards.

"Since the passage of the Children's Act, the Ghana National Commission on Children and other stakeholders (both public and private) have been given the legal backing to fight for the cause of children in the country," he added.