Assemblies to join Gender Ministry to eliminate streetism
The National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) is collaborating with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in the fight against streetism.
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Addressing NALAG members at a meeting in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, the General Secretary of NALAG, Mr Kokro Amankwa, said the association was stepping up efforts to cement the collaboration with the ministry to help halt streetism.
He stated that there were a lot of children wasting their lives on the street, particularly in Accra and Kumasi and must be stopped.
He said it behoved Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to deal with the situation which “had become an albatross on the neck of governments”.
He maintained that the MMDAs must see streetism as an affront to development, especially in a developing country such as Ghana and, therefore, the need for a panacea.
Ratification of African Charter
Mr Amankwa said the African Charter 2005 on Human and People’s Right had been ratified and Ghana, through the MMDAs, could not afford to let streetism continue to plague the nation.
He noted that if not tackled in a strategic way, the menace would degenerate into the abuse of children in many parts of the country.
He also noted that provisions in the Children’s Act 1998 (Act 560) frowned on streetism and urged all MMDAs to embrace streetism as a challenge and provide the necessary solution to it.
Pledge of support
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Sekyere Afram Plains, Mr Joseph Owusu, on behalf of the MMDCEs, pledged their support to fight streetism in their various MMDAs.
Also, he said, as NALAG members, the MMDCEs were committed to collaborating with others for the development of the country.