Residents of Nawuhugu community in the Gushegu Municipality of the Northern Region have been sensitised on the impact of child trafficking, forced and early marriages happening in the area.

Organised by the Pan-African Organisation for Research and Protection of Violence on Women and Children (PAORP-VWC) with funding from KiRA-Germany, the programme was aimed at engaging participants on the negative effects of early and forced marriages, child trafficking in the area and equip them with mechanisms and strategies to end the menace.

Dr Peter Ndonwie, Director of PAORP-VWC, said "Children are our assets and so we need to respect and promote their rights."

Dr Ndonwie encouraged parents and guardians to support their children with their basic needs, urging them to provide the children with quality education to aid their growth and development.

He announced that a community radio station would be established at Gushegu to serve as a forum for residents to discuss, deliberate, and come up with strategies to protect the rights of the children in the area.

Sheikh Iddrisu Ibrahim, Gushegu Municipal Officer at the Department of Social Welfare, who spoke on forced and early marriages, said the practice retrogressed education in the Municipality and urged participants to desist from the act.

Mr Daniel Konla, Gushegu Municipal Director of the National Commission for Civic Education touched on child trafficking, its causes, and how to address them, and advised parents and guardians not to allow their children to engage in menial jobs, and enroll them in school.