A Child and Youth Advocate, Mrs Gifty Dansoa Appiah, has drawn the attention of school proprietors and managers to the need to ensure proper child protection as it a necessity for the growth of children.
Making a presentation at the Pentecost convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, Mrs Appiah made references to some research findings to paint a picture of how endemic the issue of child abuse has become in Ghana to patrons of the Conference for Proprietors of Christian Private Schools.
The seasoned Strategy, Development Planning and Management expert explained child safety as the ‘measures and practices in place to protect children from harm, injury, abuse, or danger.’
According to her, Child safety encompasses various aspects of a child’s well-being, including physical, emotional, psychological and social safety.
Mrs Gifty Appiah indicated that child protection is foundational and essential to a child’s proper development because if a child is not protected, every aspect of his life is affected, saying, ‘No child can progress well in areas of education, health, safety, or having good relationships if he or she is afraid all the time of being abused.’
She, therefore, called on proprietors and teachers to recognise that they have a general duty of care to ensure that arrangements are in place to protect children and young people from harm.
The child and youth advocate revealed that they are called to uphold the biblical mandate of protecting children to prevent harm whenever possible and respond appropriately if faced with the possibility of abuse, neglect or exploitation.
This, she said, is evident in Mark 10:14 which reads, “He said to them, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’”
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