Tamale, July 4, GNA - Mr. Charles Bintim the Deputy Northern Regional Minister has appealed to traditional leaders, parents and other stakeholders to assist the relevant organizations to end streetism and "Kayayee" practice in the country. He therefore, urged them to ensure that girls of school-going age are not given out for marriage but are properly brought up to contribute meaningfully towards national development. Mr. Bintim made the call in Tamale on Friday when he addressed a graduation ceremony of 100 girls who had migrated to Accra to engage in Kayayee activities but were recruited and trained in vocational skills. The one-year training programme, which was organized by the Department of Community Development was sponsored by UNICEF and ActionAid Ghana.

Mr Bintim expressed the government's preparedness to co-operate with all stakeholders to fight streetism, child migration, and illiteracy, which he said, "are our real enemy in this country, especially in the Northern Region". He urged the graduands to be determined to achieve greater things than the new skills they have acquired, saying, "you must put into good use the skills you have acquired and also explore other avenues for financial and logistics support to expand your businesses". The Deputy Regional Minister advised them to serve as role models in their respective communities to discourage other potential migrants to the South for non-existent jobs.

Madam Faustina Essandoh the Director of Department of Community Development in a speech read for her, noted that the problem of street children in Ghana is growing rapidly in the major cities saying, "if this is not checked, it may assume alarming proportion as evidenced in Brazil and other developing countries". She said to reduce this social menace; the Department had initiated a number of interventions aimed at providing the youth with employable skills to make them productive and self-reliant. Madam Essandoh appealed to chiefs, opinion leaders and other stakeholders to create a conducive and safe environment for the girls to work.

Mr Theodore Tandoh, the Northern Regional Director of the Department appealed to the government and other donors agencies to increase resource allocation to the his organization and the Department of Social Welfare to enable them to assume their leadership role in rebuilding the weakened social and moral fibre of the Ghanaian society. Mrs Beatrice Akua Duncan, Right Protection Officer of the UNICEF said it was very important for her organization to translate the numerous commitments into action hence the "operation end child Kayayee" programme.

She noted with concern that in spite of the numerous legislative instruments against child labour, people continue to violate them with impunity. Mrs Duncan said it cost the UNICEF 600 dollars to train each child, adding, "we also provide them with start-up capital". She expressed the hope that if the programme continued this way, the next generation would surely be the "golden age of child right" in Ghana.

Mrs Rosaline Baatuolkuu Obeng Ofori Streetism and Gender Coodinator of ActionAid Ghana observed that unnecessary competition among parents is a major factor encouraging mothers to push their children into the street.