Sunyani (B/A), June 17, GNA - Nana Yaa Abrafi-Bonsu, Executive Director of Redemption Care International, a non-governmental organization, on Thursday called for the greatest care and sympathy for orphans. She was speaking at the celebration of the African Union Day of the African Child, organised by the NGO in conjunction with Brong Ahafo Regional office of Ghana National Commission on Children, in Sunyani.

The programme was under the theme: "Orphans and Vulnerable Children - Our collective responsibility" and was attended by school children, traditional queen mothers, Christian and Moslem women, representatives of women's wings of the NPP and NDC and some NGOs.

Nana Abrafi-Bonsu expressed regret about how some orphans were treated and appealed to family members to treat orphans of their deceased relatives as their own children. She explained that the day was celebrated to commemorate an event in Soweto in South Africa in the 1970s when black school children rose up to fight against the apartheid system in that country.

Nana Abrafi-Bonsu expressed appreciation for the efforts of the government to help improve the conditions of orphans and the vulnerable. She appealed to the Ghana AIDS Commission to help NGOs assisting orphans and urged the public to avoid stigmatising persons living with the pandemic, stressing that the practice had greatly harmed such persons.

Mr George Yaw Ankamah, Assistant Regional Coordinator of the Ghana National Commission on Children noted that child abuse and child labour perpetuated by adults had given rise to streetism, armed robbery or hardened criminals in the country.