The Child's Rights Issue: Obinim Must Feel Hated

Obinim

Ghana as a country is signatory to many conventions. But it does look like these only remain on paper. Even government's own policies on addressing for instance the child's right matter is more felt in political platform speeches than on the ground. The fourth Republican constitution enjoins our government to pursue free universal basic education for all it citizens.

It is over two decades now since this constitution came into being. Yet, successive governments have not been able to implement such a policy to meet the social and economic conditions of the masses. Today, children from very poor homes are forced to pay examination fees at the basic level before these children take end of term examination. Many children of school going age in most of our communities have still not benefited from formal education.

The powers today still look on whilst many children who are supposed to be in school loiter in our markets and fishing bays engaged in menial jobs for money to feed themselves and sometimes to take care of their parents. These are matters that should be a bother to the government, the ministry responsible for the child and all the child rights organizations in this country. But the truth is that those who profess to have these matters at heart are mostly silent on these matters that bother on the child's right. Occasionally,they would come to make noise on some matter in public space as if we here take these matters seriously.

Some months ago, a developer demolished the habitats of some citizens who have lived on the said land for decades because the developer wanted the land for some farm plantation venture. A television station aired the very dire condition of the people displaced .Women and children were seen sleeping in the open space . I had thought then that some group would make statements expressing solidarity with the people's ill fate at the time.

I thought that even if the said developer had the right to the property, there were conventions on ejecting people from their homes which should have been upheld. My greatest disappointment is the fact that I did not see the ministry responsible for the child's right moving in to protect the children's interest in this matter. I could not also hear any significant voice from any NGO on this matter. This matter actually strengthened my believe that matters relating to human rights and particularly the child's right are not much of a priority to us as a people.

Currently, there is a music video being aired on our TVs which offends my emotions anytime I watch it. It is a video of Dycrime song 'koko sakora'. In that video is a child twerking to an adult content song with half naked women and their male counterparts in same sexually suggestive dance. I thought that there were rules in this country on the use of children in advertisements.

I am not a lawyer; but there must be something in our law books that should prevent such use of children in an adult content video. It also surprises me that this video have been airing on our media and no body has seen it fit to condemn it. Since this matter of Rev. Obinim broke, I have been highly surprised at public reactions towards this matter especially when we have seen similar infringement of the child's rights on our TVs and yet we have not shown such concern as we have expressed about the matter relating to Rev. Obinim. I believe that the use of such a kid in that 'koko sakora' video is much more a havoc to the child than what those youths suffered in the hands of Rev. Obinim in the church place.

As a people, high standards should always be part of our daily lifes. It shouldn't be an occasional thing. We should be holding ourselves to the same standards all the time.

Right now, Rev. Obinim must feel someone is up to some scheme to get him. It is true that what he did must be condemned. It was dehumanizing to the young ones involved. That action could be said to be a violation on the human dignity of the young ones involved. But one thing for sure is that Rev. Obinim could not be said to have done what he did out of malice for the young ones.

He is their father.He is a public figure.He might have been carried away by the pain that the impact of this crime as committed by these young ones could have tarnished his image as a man who is supposed to uphold high morals.He wasn't exploiting these young ones.But here he is being vilified by the public for trying to correct his children whilst the same society have closed their eyes to far damaging acts against the child as shown daily on our media. Rev. Obinim must feel very hated by the people.