Cabinet approves ratification of Convention on Protection of Children

(By Francis Ameyibor, GNA UN Special Correspondent, Geneva Switzerland)

Geneva, May 21, GNA - Ghana's Cabinet has also approved the ratification of the 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of Children in Respect of Inter-Country Adoption and amendments to the Children's Act in respect of adoptions.

The new procedures for adoptions are currently being finalized by the Attorney-General's Department, Nana Oye Lithur, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, told the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child during the presentation of Ghana's Third, Fourth and Fifth Consolidated Periodic Report.

Ghana is among seven other nations appearing before the 69 session of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (UN-CRC) who are responding to issues raised by the Committee.

The other countries are Eritrea, Ethiopia, Honduras, Mexico, Nepal, and the Netherlands, who are all expected to defend and present reports on issues raised by the Committee.

The UN-CRC 69 Session started on May 18, and it is expected to end on June 5. Eighteen independent experts of UN-CRC monitor the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by its state parties.

Nana Oye Lithur explained that Ghana started the Care Reform Initiative (CRI) in 2007 under which 148 homes with 4,000 children in care were identified at the start of the CRI.

The CRI was to de-institutionalize these children and return them to the care of their families.

'As at March 2015, through the CRI, the Ministry has also provided shelter and care for 2,623 orphans and trained 1,406 caregivers and 54 managers of homes and 24 social welfare district officers in all regions and assisted in reuniting 2,234 children in orphanages with their families and closed down 83 orphanages that did not meet the requirements,' she noted.

On improvement in Birth Registration, the Gender Minister explained that birth registration in Ghana has improved from 17 per cent in 2002 to 66 per cent in 2013 as a result of measures including: free registration of new born babies within twelve months of delivery.

The process also includes recognition of a 'Birth Registration Day' every first day of September as well as 'Child Health Promotion,' weeks every May as annual calendar events to educate the public on the importance of registering infants.

The Gender Minister explained that the legal framework had also been strengthened with a draft Bill on Birth Registration, which was currently being considered by Cabinet for approval. The registration process had been documented under the Bill.

On Right to health and health services, Nana Oye Lithur said the Ghana Health Service (GHS) - among its various functions - had striven to improve the nutritional status of children by improving maternal nutrition and capacity-building of health staff in skills and competencies for counselling, and essential nutrition actions.

She said, since 2008 the Community-based management of acute malnutrition had been implemented, beginning in two districts and currently in 97 Districts.

It helps with early identification and treatment of severely malnourished children in their communities. As further evidence of the reach of health care services across the country, the Ghana Living Standards Survey 6, reports that less than 2 per cent (1.7 per cent) of children 5 years and below in the country had not received any vaccination at the time of the survey.

Nana Oye Lithur noted that a model for community-based health service delivery known as the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) had taken health care closer to the people.

There has been a significant increase in the number of functional CHPS compounds nationwide following the relatively slow start in CHPS implementation over the previous years, she said.

Implementation of functional CHPS compounds, for instance, increased from 868 in 2009 to 2226 in 2012, to 2580 in 2013 and to 2948 in 2014. This increase has also been met with a correlated increase in the number of community health officers, most of whom have already had training in CHPS service delivery as part of their pre-service training.

It also monitors implementation of two optional protocols to the convention, on involvement of children in armed conflict and on sale of children, child pornography and child prostitution

The Report assesses the progress made by government in regards to the advancement of implementation and the status of children in terms of adherence to the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the realization of their rights and freedoms at home, school and all other places in which they often find themselves, and the provision of their needs.

The Report also chronicles responses of child-focused state institutions in their efforts to ensure children's rights and improve their access to quality education, health care, social welfare, protection and all other areas that affect child development from 2005 to 2010.

Children's voices have also been echoed in the Report.

The Report reveals modest achievements made and challenges encountered by government and its partners to address important needs and gaps of children in the enjoyment of their rights in Ghana.

It also responds to certain important observations made by the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the previous reports submitted by Ghana to the Committee.

GNA