'Bow Your Heads In Shame'

The Ashanti Regional Coordinator of Childs Rights International, Mrs. Ophelia Antwi Boasiako, has told the leadership of the country's political parties to bow their heads in shame for using children to accomplish their self-centred ambitions.

She particular asked the headships of the two major political families, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), to publicly render an unqualified apology to children in the country for recklessly abusing their rights.

The Child Activist explained that the two major political groupings have it as a duty to apologize because of their purported role in the abuse of children in the on-going national voter registration exercise.

Speaking in an interview with this paper in Kumasi, Mrs. Antwi Boasiako said it was irresponsible and criminal for political parties to mobilize juveniles to register in order to vote to help them achieve their selfish political gains.

“By this shameful behaviour, the political parties have demonstrated amply that they do not have the progress and development of children at heart,” she observed.

The Regional Coordinator blamed some parents and guardians for cheaply allowing politicians to misuse their children to push their own self-seeking agenda.

She therefore called on all including civil societies to show supreme interest in promoting and preserving the rights and freedoms of children by protecting them against the manipulations of wicked politicians as well as condemning sad developments of this nature.

Since the registration of Ghanaians who have attained age 18 and those who for one reason or the other do not have their names in the national voter register began a week ago, there have been astonishing media reports of minors taking part in the exercise in certain parts of the count

From Morgan Owusu, Kumasi