Compassion Ghana celebrates International Children's Day

Gomoa Mprumem (C/R), Nov. 24, GNA - Compassion International Ghana, a non-profit making Christian organization has celebrated this year's International Children's Day at Gomoa Mprumem near Apam in the Central Region with a call on Ghanaians to eliminate worst forms of child labour. Compassion International, a child-centred organization believes in holistic development of children from the poor and needy homes through seeking sponsorship from countries all over the world for their care. It operates in Greater Accra and Central Regions of Ghana.

Reverend Mrs Jemima Amanor, the organisation's Country Director, who=

made the call on Tuesday, said 20th November was an important day for the=

United Nations General Assembly, as the day marked the Declaration of the=

Rights of the Child and the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of t= he Child in 1957 and 1989 respectively. The occasion was also used to inaugurate the 100th Compassion Child Development Centre in Ghana at Gomoa Mprumem.

Though Compassion International Ghana had established 107 child development centres in the country that was the time the 100th Project wa= s inaugurated. The theme for the celebration of the Day was: "No poor and needy Chi= ld should be left out". Rev. Mrs Amanor said in 2006 the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in its second global report on child labour underlined the fact tha= t a breakthrough in the fight against child labour was possible, and that the=

canker was declining. The Compassion Country Director said upon the report, ILO countries,=

including Ghana, were optimistic enough to set the goal of ending the wor= st forms of child labour by 2016.

She said but recent monitoring of progress towards the attainment of=

the Millennium Development Goals suggested that the global community, including ours, was still far from eliminating the canker. Rev. Mrs Amanor said child upbringing was a command by God, quoting Proverbs chapter 22:6 which states: "Train up a child in the way he shoul= d go and when he is old, he will not depart from it," to buttress her claim= .. "How many parents heed this command?" she asked and added that; "the= re are many parents in this country, who have failed the test of parenthood,=

but yet expect the children they have neglected to take care of them." She expressed worry about abuse of children, particularly defilement= by adults such as fathers and close relatives. She said unfortunately most of these cases were swept under the carp= et with the connivance of parents of the abused children and the relatives o= f the adult abusers. The Very Reverend Ebo Walters, Superintendent Minister in charge of Apam circuit of the Methodist Church, called on Ghanaians to discard the traditional belief about children that they could only be seen but not heard.

He said it was time the erroneous impression that children had no se= nse to contribute to discussions was corrected. Very Rev. Walters urged parents to make children to see them as role=

models and help to develop their spirituality. "We must prepare children to take over leadership role as responsibl= e leaders," he stressed. The Reverend Minister appealed to churches to establish children's f= und to support the youth in implementing their activities and programmes.