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Sagnarigu, Ghana – Ghana’s Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister, Otiko Afisah Djaba, has implored District Social Welfare Officers in the country to work hard towards reducing increasing cases of child marriage, female genital mutilation, widowhood rites, witchcraft accusations and other forms of right violations.
According to her, the Northern Region had the highest prevalence of child marriage (39 percent) in the country which was unacceptable.
She observed that, these human rights violations marginalise people and made them to feel inadequate, and so therefore, it was the responsibility of social welfare officers and nongovernmental organisations to ensure that such practices came to an end.
“….I am challenging you to walk the talk. I am challenging you to reduce the abuses, of child marriage, of female genital mutilation, of widowhood rites, of rape, of violence, of suicide and all the other issues of discrimination and abuse that marginalise people, that weaken people, that makes people feel as if they’re inadequate….. The social justice must be felt by all irrespective of geography.
“That you live in Nakpanduri or you’re in the far ends of Fielmuo in the Sissala District or you’re in Sogakope or you’re in Dadientem. Never again should anybody say that I have no means to attend to a case or I am tired and I’m sleeping”, Madam Otiko Djaba stressed.
“The Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister said these when she addressed the District Social Welfare Officers, officers of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit and Selected rights-based nongovernmental organisations from the Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions at a day’s training workshop on “The Helpline of Hope Call Centre” at Sagnarigu in the Northern Region of Ghana.
The Help Line of Hope Call Centre is a channel through which citizens whose human rights have been violated or who have any grievances related to any of government’s flagship social protection programmes can call a toll free number, 0800800800 or 0800900900 to have such complaints or grievances resolved.
Issues such as human trafficking, domestic violence, rape cases, child labour, child and early marriage, mental and psychological issues, special financial assistance, employment or seeking for ways to resolve them can also be lodged through the helpline of hope call centre.
Madam Otiko Djaba hinted that, the Ministry would soon institute an award mechanism on social protection this year to reward hard work, and the winner, according to her, would be given a pick up vehicle.
“We will only reward hard work. It will no longer be uniform. This business of giving all 216 social welfare officers motorbikes has to stop”, she stated and added that “on behalf of the Honourable people of this country, we’re going to demand our pound flesh from you”.
The Gender Minister Urged the social welfare officers to employ the use of social media to reach out to a lot more people in their catchment areas and educate them about the essence of social welfare and what they can do for them.
By Savannahnewsonline.com
