A NON-PROFIT organization, Standing Together Against Child Abuse and Neglect (STACAN), has been launched in Accra on 17 July 2021 with a call on the government to prioritize the welfare of children.
The founder of STACAN, Ms. Elsie Owusu-Kumi, said children are the foundation of the development of any society, and therefore it is of critical importance to pay more attention to their welfare and well-being.
She said issues pertaining to the children must be at the top of any national policy or agenda, and that must be backed with the needed resources as well as the strengthening of institutions to sustain it for the long term.
“We ask for a more robust child protection system in Ghana, where children suffering abuse and neglect are safeguarded in a timely intervention. It is therefore my hope that, as a country, the government will pay more attention to investing in services that matter to children,” she said.
THE LAUNCH
The launch was on the theme, Protecting the Well-Being of Children, preventing abuse and neglect.
Participants at the event included children, parents, social workers, security officers, and the clergy, with the keynote speaker being a child and women’s rights activist, Oheneyere Gifty Anti.
Explaining the rationale for establishing STACAN, Mrs. Owusu-Kumi said STACAN was first formed in the United Kingdom (UK) to protect children in minority communities from abuse and neglect.
She said, following the tremendous impacts STACAN had in the UK, she decided to replicate it in Ghana to bring the organization expertise and experience to promote the well-being and welfare of children.
According to her, STACAN would be an advocacy force that will fight for the rights of children, as well as collaborate with policymakers, other nonprofit organizations, and individuals to promote the interests of children.
“Areas we will focus on include female genital mutilation, child abuse linked to faith, child trafficking, domestic abuse, child marriage, and child sexual exploitation.”
“Key values underpinning our work include respect for all persons, a non-judgmental attitude, equality, social justice, and an anti-oppressive practice,” s she added.
STOP ABUSE
Oheneyere Gifty Anti said many people were guilty of child abuse due to the nature in which children were treated in the country.
She said it was common for parents, teachers, carers, and others to abuse children due to what she described as frustrations of life, which they ended up visiting on the children.
Also, she said institutions such as the media sometimes tended not to be sensitive to children in their reporting.
“The way the media, especially local language broadcast stations, report issues of defilement and other abuses of children tends to make the children who are the victims become the perpetrators,” she said.
She said it is important for people to understand that children needed to be treated in a manner that would not derail their development or self-esteem or make them bitter.
