Address By The Minister For Gender, Children And Social Protection, Hon. Otiko Afisah Djaba During The Celebration Of The 2018 Day Of The African Child At Somanya

16^th June At Somanya
16^th June At Somanya
Mr. Chairman,
Hon. DCE of the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly,

Directors of Ministries, Departments and Agencies,

Special Invited Guest,
My Dear Children
Friends from the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I consider it a great pleasure and privilege to join you today as we observe the Day of the African Child which is celebrated annually all over the African continent on 16^th June.

The celebration of the day was instituted in 1990 by the African Heads of State in commemoration of the massacre of innocent children in Soweto under the now defunct Aparthied system in South Africa in 1976.

In 1976, thousands of black school children marched in a column of more than half a mile long on the streets of Soweto, South Africa, to protest the inferior quality of their education and demanded their right to be taught in their own language. Hundreds of young boys and girls were shot down by security forces. In the two weeks of protest that followed, more than a hundred people were killed and over one thousand were injured.

In honour of the memory of those gallant children who were killed and the courage of all those who marched in the 1976 Soweto Uprising, the African Union dedicated and set aside 16^th of June as the Day of the African Child (DAC), to remember them and what they stood and fought for. The Day of the African Child therefore became a Regional event which has been celebrated every year since 1991.

The theme for the 2018 celebration is “Leave no Child behind for Africa’s Development’’. This highlights the need to ensure that ‘NO CHILD IS LEFT BEHIND’ in targeting those who are not benefitting from Africa’s growth and development for children.

In Africa, children form the majority of the population and this group needs to be focused on when working towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This year’s DAC theme builds on the energy created by the DAC 2017 theme “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for Children in Africa: Accelerating Protection, Empowerment and Equal Opportunity.”

It does so by emphasizing the need to mainstream children’s rights in all (Agenda 2030) developmental programmes implemented by Ghana.

While the 2017 DAC theme focused on locating Africa’s children generally within the 2030 Agenda, the 2018 theme highlights the need to ensure that ‘NO CHILD IS LEFT BEHIND’ by specifically targeting those who are not benefitting from Africa’s growth and development. Thus, the overarching principle is inclusive development for children. This means in developing programs and policies for implementing Agenda 2030, children should be at the centre-stage to ensure that no child is left behind in the drive towards sustainable economic development.

In selecting the 2018 theme therefore, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) once again reaffirms the importance of highlighting the linkages between Agenda 2030 and children’s rights. It is important to stress that the implementation of all 17 Agenda 2030 goals is crucial for the implementation of all rights of children.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development chart an ambitious course for the coming decades and beyond. The Sustainable Development Goals is a clarion call for a more equitable future. At the care of which is our commitment to leave no one behind especially children with a focus on the girl child.

The celebration is to draw the attention of both governmental and non-governmental organizations, parents and society at large to the many problems that afflict the African child and impede his/her development.

The children who are being left behind are those children who still go through challenges in all the sectors including access to justice, education, health, protection, participation, leisure and play, among others.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I wish to urge all of you gathered here to become child advocates with a renewed commitment towards alleviating the daily problems that children face.

Collaboration needs to be intensified and special intervention adopted to promote child rights. Ghana’s children are looking up to us for hope, to give them and all of us a better future. Let us not therefore fail them in their time of need.

Mr. Chairman, it is imperative that accelerated efforts are made to bring all children onboard in Ghana. This could be done when all partners come together to collaborate and share ideas towards making sure that all children in Ghana are in school and are retained in school.

Government is leading this process by making sure that there is a peaceful and an enabling environment for all children to enjoy their rights. Government in the bid to further protect children has also formulated relevant laws such as the Children’s Act, Human Trafficking Act, Domestic Violence Act, among others. Ghana has also developed a Child and Family Welfare Policy and a Justice for Children Policy to make sure that we use existing community structures to better protect children in our families and communities.

Again, through its social interventions, government has provided initiatives and programmes to increase enrollment and retention in schools, improve health care, creat jobs, among others. This shows government’s commitment towards ensuring that children, irrespective of gender, race, language, geographical location or social status enjoy their basic rights.

Dear Children, permit me to say that, rights come with responsibilities. As government and partners, we will do everything possible for you to enjoy your rights. You also have the responsibility towards making very good use of the investments that are being channeled into your education, health and general wellbeing.

I will like to take this opportunity to thank all partners for making this year’s celebration a success. I also wish to appreciate the children and chaperons who have been able to make it to this durbar and also for sharing their ideas and thoughts with us.

I wish all children in Ghana a happy Day of the African Child.

Thank you