Let’s promote best interest of children
The conduct and behaviour of some people towards children in the country demonstrate that they are less committed to their welfare.
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Every morning, children struggle by the roadside to either cross or pick a car to school or any destination. Drivers, hawkers and street vendors expect children to give them the right of way, and to such people, children do not matter despite the level of their vulnerability.
Parents are no exception, since some of their decisions on a daily basis do not reflect the aspirations and welfare of their own children. Some parents use their authority to stifle the initiative of their children to compel them to live lives they wish they had lived when they were young but never had the opportunity.
Principle of welfare
The principle of welfare is evident in the country’s legislative framework, which invariably suggests that this principle is a denominator in pursuance of the country’s constitutional obligations, especially the ones that apply to children and vulnerable persons.
Chapter 1 Article (1) of the 1992 Constitution states that “the sovereignty of Ghana resides in the people of Ghana in whose name and for ‘whose welfare’ the powers of government are to be exercised in the manner and within the limit laid down in the Constitution”.
The economic objective of Article 36 of the constitution enjoins the government to manage the national economy in a manner as to maximise the rate of economic development and secure the maximum “welfare”, freedom and happiness of every person in Ghana.
These articles demonstrate enough fact that Ghana believes in the principle of welfare.
The constitution, in Article 28, acknowledges the vulnerability of children by empowering Parliament to make laws that address the specific needs of children in such circumstances.
The same Article states that such enactments must be “prescribed in such manner that in all cases the interest of children are paramount”. It is evident that the enactment of the Children’s Act 560 in 1998, its Legislative Instrument in 2003 and the Juvenile Justice Act, 2003 by Parliament are based on this.
However, despite these constitutional provisions and child protection policies, there are rampant reports of child rights abuses all over the country and it is even worrying that existing norms and practices that pertain in the cultural setting of some communities do not protect children’s rights.
The way forward
The legislative framework and existing child protection institutions need to take into consideration the many reports of child abuse cases and reflect on the past to come out with suggestions that will inform a practical child welfare policy for the ultimate protection of children.
The principle of welfare demands that in such situations society must, as a matter of cause, protect children from the tendencies of abuse of their rights in any environment where they find themselves; which simply means that we must all work to protect the best interest of children.
An intelligent child
The fact still remains that parents, in their quest to seek the best for their children, have totally neglected the best in their children. It is not as if the reality has dawned on parents to avert their minds from what will be in the best interest of children but have constantly demonstrated that the opinion of children does not matter.
The description of an intelligent child is not solely based on the child pursuing specific careers such as medicine, architecture, law and others but it is a simple recognition of the child’s ability in life.
Therefore it stands to reason that both in deed and conduct, individuals, society and the state must reflect ‘the best interest of the child in their daily undertakings.
The writer is the Executive Director of Child Rights International