Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection Otiko Afisah Djaba has advised parents to avoid being negligent and rather make the welfare of their children a priority by respecting and treating them with dignity.

According to her, the upbringing and training of children shouldn’t be left in the hands of house-helps or social media, but parents should rather focus more on engaging their children in a one-on-one discussion at all times so as to develop and build their confidence.

“I call on parents to make the welfare of their children a priority. We have the primary responsibility for the care and protection of our little ones and we cannot afford to be negligent. Parenting cannot be left to Television, social media, peer-pressure and house-helps. That one-on-one engagement between parents and children is still fundamental to the development of our children. Children must be respected, treated with dignity, love and involved in decision making for today’s child is tomorrow’s leader”, she said.

She made these comments at the commemoration of the 2017 AU Day of the African Child at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park on Friday, June 16, 2017. The Day of the African Child is marked on the 16th of June every year by Member States of the African Union (AU), and its Partners.

This occasion is firstly a commemoration to recall the 1976 uprisings in Soweto when a protest by school children in South Africa against apartheid-inspired education resulted in the public killing of these unarmed young protesters by police officials.

The Day of the African Child further presents an opportunity to focus on the work of all actors committed to the rights of children on the continent, to consolidate their efforts in addressing the obstacles to realising these rights.

The Day of the African Child also provides an occasion for Governments, International Institutions and communities to renew their on-going commitments towards improving the plight of children by organising activities aimed at including them.

Every year, a theme is identified by the Committee and adopted by the Executive Council and this year’s theme was “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for children in Africa: Accelerating protection, environment and equal opportunity”.

Gender Minister, Otiko Djaba said her ministry together with its stakeholders is investing heavily to address issues pertaining to children and due to that they are currently implementing the Child and Family Welfare and Justice for Children policies that would make families and communities key to the growth and development as well as offer appropriate protection to children in conflict with the law.

She further pledged that government would continue to lay the foundation for the interest of the Ghanaian, African and global child so that together, they would have a cause to rejoice when they are able to groom, nature and transform future leaders properly.