Children are an intrinsic part of the family — CHRAJ

Mr. John Ato Breboh, CHRAJ Senior Principal Investigator at the Tema Regional Office of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has reiterated that a kid is an intrinsic part of the family and that his or her welfare cannot be separated from that of the family.

The welfare of children must be coordinated with all activities, services, and norms to support the kid in the context of a big family, Mr. Breboh stated this at the Stakeholders Engagement Day Seminar of the Ghana News Agency's Tema Regional Office in Tema.

The GNA Tema Stakeholder Engagement is a venue for state and non-state actors to address national concerns in the interest of national development in general, as well as the expansion and promotion of the Tema GNA as the industrial news hub.

He pointed out that Ghana's child protection policy, which comprised the child and family welfare policy, took into account all of the laws that protect children and acted as a guide for protecting children within the home environment.

"A child who does not have a network of family members goes through a lot if their biological parents are unable to care for them," he explained.

He stated that children are vulnerable and require special care and that they have human rights under international law regardless of race, gender, language, or colour.

The CHRAJ Chief Principal Investigator emphasized that children's dignity and integrity must be protected from injustice.

"Children's human rights, like those of all other human beings, must not be regarded as a favour, right, or privilege bestowed by the state or any organization," Mr. Breboh added.

"Let us love and protect our children; they are our most valuable assets." "We will account one day for how we cared for God's gift to us," he remarked.

He urged deep introspection and dedication from parents and the general public to tackle the myriad issues that children face in the country.

Mr. Breboh, who spoke on children's rights, explained that international human rights law lays down obligations that states are bound to respect, and Ghana assumes obligations and duties under international law to respect, protect, and fulfil human rights by becoming a party to international treaties.

According to him, the need to respect requires states to refrain from interfering with or restricting the enjoyment of human rights. The commitment to protect obligates states to safeguard persons and groups against human rights violations.

The commitment to fulfil entails nations taking proactive steps to enable the enjoyment of fundamental human rights.

He stated that by ratifying international human rights treaties, states agree to implement domestic policies and legislation that are commensurate with their treaty obligations and duties.

"Where domestic legal proceedings fail to address human rights abuses, mechanisms and procedures for individual complaints or communications are available at the regional and international levels to help ensure that international human rights standards are indeed respected, implemented, and enforced at the local level," he explained.

Mr. Breboh stated that it was critical to recognize children's rights and take an active interest in children's issues by ensuring that their rights were respected.

—CDA Consult II Contributor