Alhaji Arona Mohammed Akape, the Chief Director of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council, on Tuesday stated that the family and community remained the first line of defence and protection of children.
He said while the national laws, plans and policies were imperative in this matter, the success of these policies largely relied on how community level actors identify, prevent and respond to child protection issues.
Alhaji Akape stated this in his opening remarks at a one-day training workshop for Assembly and Unit Committee Members and Community Child Protection Committee members from the Adaklu District at the Residency in Ho.
The workshop which was organised by Friends of Adaklu (FOA), a non-government organisation based in the Adaklu District was supported by the Norwegian government through SOS Children’s Villages.
It was on the theme: “Enhancing Institutional Capacity of Community Structures for Effective Child Protection at All Levels.”
Alhaji Akape noted that child abuse cases like child marriage, child labour, teenage pregnancy, child neglect and child trafficking could not be solved in offices alone.
“It requires the vigilance, compassion and coordination of people living among the children,” the Chief Director said.
He intimated that child protection should be everybody’s concern because it was key to the total development of children.
“All of us have a role to play so the training should serve as a renewal of your commitment towards creating safer, more caring and responsible communities where children can grow, learn and develop to their full potential,” he stressed.
Alhaji Akape said the timing of the training was very apt as it would provide the participants with the requisite skills, knowledge and tools necessary for the detection, reporting and reflecting child protection cases appropriately.
He said further that it would always reinforce the institutional capacity and the entire national child protection system at each level of intervention from the community, district, and regional to the national level.
The Chief Director stated that these levels were interdependent, adding, “their work is the foundation upon which this coordinated response is based.”
Participants were taken through topics such as introduction to child and child abuse cases, legal and institutional framework for child protection, strengthening coordination and functionalities in community child protection and case management and referral pathway.
GNA
