Ho, Aug. 25, GNA - The Minister of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC), on Tuesday criticised the belief among a section of the citizenry, that children were gifts from God, hence the free flow of divine providence despite the unusual number of children one produces. Mrs Gladys Asmah said in a speech read on her behalf in Ho on Tuesday that the claim was no longer tangible, because family planning was an integral part of marriage.

She was addressing a day's seminar on Responsible Parenting, organised by the MOWAC and the National Council on Women and Development, for social workers, church groups and traditional rulers. Mrs Asmah said children, were protected by laws and international conventions, to ensure that their rights were not abused. They must therefore be given equal opportunities to ensure their orderly development.

Mr Larry Bisaba, the Volta Regional Director of the Department of Social Welfare, expressed regret that some parents took pride in the ability to produce more children at the detriment of qualitative care. "The craze for the latest fashion and new clothes for every funeral, at the expense of the needs of children, was depleting the scarce resources of parents," he said.