Accra, Dec. 18, GNA - Participants at the Fourth Annual National Young Women's Leadership Conference has called for the upgrading of the Department of Social Welfare to a full ministry.

This is because of its critical role in ensuring the effective implementation of the Government's social protection strategy and enforcement of provisions in existing and pending legislation that support the vulnerable, particularly women and children.

This is contained in a communiqu=E9 released in Accra on Monday after its conference, which was organized under the auspices of the Women's Law and Human Rights and the Ark Foundation, both advocacy organisations.

The communiqu=E9 urged the Government to ensure full decentralization of the Department and to accord it full recognition at the District Assembly level as a critical State institution with a mandate to contribute to development and human rights protection. The Government should also increase budgetary allocation to the Department and ensure its full institutional revamping, it said. The communiqu=E9 said the Department's "centrist focus" should be transformed to embrace a development-oriented approach focusing on poverty alleviation, empowerment of the vulnerable and support for the families and individuals, especially in difficult circumstances. "There should be a clear distinction in the mandates and roles of the policy making roles of the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs and its implementing departments vis-=E0-vis that of the Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment and the implementing mandate of the Department."

The communiqu=E9 said this was particularly urgent in relation to the enforcement of the Children's Act, the Human Trafficking Act and Domestic Violence legislation.

"Where there are overlaps, Government should ensure effective and systematic coordination of all efforts in relation to their common areas of work.=94