Afram Plains children have a right to education - Betty Krosbi Mensah

Member of Parliament for Afram Plains North, Betty Nana Efua Krosbi Mensah has said children of Afram Plains deserve the right to education.

Recently, it has been reported that children in Afram Plains are being used by boat masters for fishing, whiles others are trafficked.

She further pointed out that her constituency is surrounded by water, the Volta Lake and various rivers.

According to the Afram Plains North legislator her constituency is rated high as one of the places where child labour is practiced and further pointed out that, she does not want to limit it to only child trafficking which is prevalent.

She made this remarks when through her effort she was able to collaborate with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Kwahu Afram Plains Assembly to organise a sensitization durbar for the people of Afram Plains North.

The sensitization durbar was against child labour and human trafficking, the day was marked in Ghana at Bridge Ano, in the Kwahu Afram Plains District.

The United Nations(UN) General Assembly through its resolution 30th of July every year the world celebrates a day against human trafficking (Blue Day), to create awareness of the dangers in human trafficking and the need to protect victims against the practice.

Last year, an International Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Justice Mission in collaboration with arm police officers raided the waters and surrounding the Dwarf Island and took away children from their families who were on the lake travelling, accompanying their parents, brothers to fish and other economic reasons.

The Assembly members from the Kwahu Afram Plains District were very grateful to the Member of Parliament for Afram Plains North for her effort in ensuring that children who were rescued last year when there was a raid are doing well.

Children of Afram Plains have a right to live a peaceful life and not to be abused by their parents and other authorities, she was delighted that out of the two hundred and seventy-five constituencies in the country, “we travelled past Donkorkrom to Bridge Ano to mark this day”, she said.

The Afram Plains North law maker pointed out that children in Afram Plains are very intelligent and brilliant, she believes if they are given equal opportunity like children in Accra and other urban cities in Ghana they would excel.

On the issue of teenage pregnancy, Betty Nana Efua Krosbi Mensah said available statistics indicate that they placed second and pointed out that there is lack of teachers in the classrooms, as people are not motivated to be in the classroom.

“We have a total of five hundred and seventy-three communities, if you go to the Ghana education service right now, the basic schools in Afram Plains do not added up to hundred and thirty so the remaining communities what happens to them”?

She appealed to government and civil society who are interested in the well being of the children of Afram Plains to come to their aid, as MPs resources are quite limited, she also pledged to build pavilions, reading and learning materials.

Again community teachers would be recruited and sponsored to help in the classroom, also to fight and end teenage pregnancy, child labour and trafficking.