![Nana Oye Lithur (right), Mr John Kudalor (the IGP) [2nd right] and Ms Susan Namondo Ngongi (left), UNICEF representative in Accra, applauding after unveiling the Justice for Children Policy logo in Accra.](/images/2016/SEPTEMBER/sept28/nana.png "Nana Oye Lithur (right), Mr John Kudalor (the IGP) [2nd right] and Ms Susan Namondo Ngongi (left), UNICEF representative in Accra, applauding after unveiling the Justice for Children Policy logo in Accra.")
Policy to ensure child protection launched
A policy document that addresses issues relating to juvenile offences, as well as ensuring effective child protection system in the country, has been launched in Accra.
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The Justice for Children Policy seeks to promote access to justice for children involved in family and other civil proceedings and protect children as witnesses and victims of crimes.
It also would ensure greater cooperation between the formal and the community justice systems to enhance access to justice and protection for children in conflict with the law, as well as child witnesses.
The 45-page policy document, which is an initiative of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, outlines the objectives and strategies for implementation and the role of the various government departments, agencies and public institutions in the implementation process.
To ensure the effective implementation of the policy at the various levels, a national committee and district level committees have been established.
As part of the strategies to implement the policy, the formal justice system would be strengthened to make it more child-friendly during arrest, investigations, pre-trial, trial and committal, and also provide training to enhance professionalism of the justice for children delivery system.
Also, an effective response and referral system between the community justice for children system and the formal system would be established, while a new approach for dealing with child maintenance cases would be adopted
The policy would also ensure that programmes for the rehabilitation, resettlement and social reintegration of children were strengthened to address juvenile delinquency and social needs of the child.
Children’s access to justice
At a ceremony to launch the document in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur, said although Ghana had made progress in providing a safe environment for the development of children, more needed to be done, especially in the area of child justice system.
She explained that currently, there was no policy that stipulated how children who came into contact with the law should be handled, and so they were exposed to all manner of abuse and injustice.
Therefore, the minister said much needed to be done in the child justice system, especially in improving the condition of children who came into contact with or were at risk of coming into contact with the law.
Following a recommendation after a review of structures in place for child protection, she said the government began the process of the reformation of the children’s access to justice in 2012.
Child protection
With the goal of developing a document that reflected national priorities, Nana Oye said the Justice for Children policy laid the foundation for an effective child protection system.
“The policy builds on existing structures for increased responsiveness to the needs of children and better protection from harm and exploitation,” she stated.
She further indicated that frameworks such as the Child and Family Welfare Policy which was recently launched with others in the pipeline, were expected to deepen the government regulatory and institutional framework to safeguard the rights of all children.
As a signatory to the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, Nana Oye said it was the collective responsibility of all Ghanaians to safeguard the rights of children.
Commendation
The Inspector General of Police, John Kudalor, speaking at the ceremony, pledged the commitment of the Ghana Police Service to ensure that the policy was successfully implemented to ensure the safety of children.
While commending the ministry for coming out with such a policy, he noted that such frameworks helped to address challenges associated with children who came into contact with the law.
The acting Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mr Richard Quayson, who chaired the event, said there was the need to invest in the implementation of the policy so that the hope of children would not be dashed.
In her address, the UNICEF representative to Ghana, Ms Susan Namondo Ngongi, commended the government for demonstrating its commitment to the welfare of children through the passage of such policies.