Edumadze bemoans setbacks devt of children in rural areas

Komenda, Oct 14, GNA - The Central Regional Minister, Mr Isaac Edumadze, on Tuesday said neglect of infrastructure in rural areas has created a situation where the rural child's access to education, learning and recreational facilities, leaves much to be desired. He said this has contributed to ''streetism' in towns and cities leading to child migration with its attendant negative effects such as prostitution, robbery and teenage pregnancy.

Mr Edumadze said this in a speech read for him at the regional celebration of the ''National Children's Day.''

He said the establishment of community centres, especially in deprived areas, would not only provide recreational facilities but would also serve as child literacy centres where informal education could be made available and accessible to school drop-outs.

The Regional Minister said the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs is making efforts to curb child trafficking, especially along the Volta Lake.

Mr John Hackman, the Regional Co-ordinator of the Ghana National Commission on Children (GNCC), appealed to parents to make themselves easily approachable, to enable their children discuss their problems with them.

Earlier in the day, school children went on a procession holding placards some of which read, "send your child to school, send your girl-child to school, respect the view of children, stop domestic violence, stop child defilement and don't molest the child.''