Mr Clarke Noyoru, a legal practitioner has called for the return to the traditional system of child protection where the whole society protects the child and guide children to adulthood.

He explained, that system had a high capacity to help reduce child delinquency and waywardness in society.

Mr Noyoru made the call at the opening of a training workshop for paralegals in Eastern Region at Koforidua was organized by the Legal Resource Centre (LRC), a civil society organization with support from the European Union.

The workshop was to train paralegals to help in protecting the rights of children in conflict with the law or need legal services and was on the theme’ the role of paralegals in protecting the rights of children”.

He advised the paralegals to be guided by the best interest of the child in settling cases.

Mr Noyoru advised the paralegals to treat all people who come before them fairly, equally and treat information that comes to them as confidential.

He advised the paralegals to work closely with the police, the Legal Aid Commission and the Ghana Immigration Service.

Mr Martin Ameyaw, the Eastern Regional Director of the Legal Aid Commission, advised the paralegals to refer cases that were beyond them early to the Legal Aid Commission.

He said the Legal Aid Commission also needed the services of paralegals to handle because there were many cases that could be resolved out of the courts.

Mr Robert Nomo Jnr., Project Coordinator at LRC explained that the project aimed at bridging the gap between legislation and practice within the broad outlook of Ghana’s justice for children system by ensuring that children in conflict with the law are adequately protected and their rights promoted.

He said, the project was also to ensure the provision of legal assistance and services for at least 350 children in conflict with the law throughout the country.

The LRC has therefore engaged the services of interested persons as paralegals across the regions who will be on the three-year project to support in assisting children in conflict and contact with the law.