Afrikids organize workshop to curb streetism

Bolgatanga, Dec. 18, GNA- A one-day workshop aimed at curbing the spate of streetism, child trafficking and migration of the youth in the country, especially in the three Northern regions was at the weekend held in Bolgatanga.

The workshop, which was organized by Afrikids, a non-governmental organization was aimed at brainstorming and soliciting views from strategic partners drawn from the public sector and civil societies. These would be an input into the "Operation First Start" (OFS) of Afrikids project to enhance its existing strategy of curbing streetism, migration and child trafficking.

Giving the background of the project, the Manager of the OFS component of Afrikids, Mr. Cletus Anaaya, explained that the project, which was initiated and started by Dr Linda Joyce a staff of Afikids in 2005, was aimed at relocating and resettling street children who were migrants of Upper East Region.

He noted that OFS had chalked a lot of successes by bringing back 10 street children from Kumasi where they were given intensive counselling sessions to help them ease back to family life. Various professional were also invited to talk to the victims and give them advise about careers and vocational training opportunities.

Mr. Anaaya also said the children were also being trained in dressmaking, batik tie and dye, carpentry and mechanics and five of them being reintegrated into their families and were working to support. Apart from this, the Manager said, the Staff of OFS run community streetism awareness programmes and prevention campaigns against migration through holding durbars in the rural communities in the Region.

Citing some of the long-term aims of the project, Mr. Anaaya, said OFS would put pressure on the Government to pass the law against child trafficking and to put more into resettling street children and child labourers.

It would also collaborate with wider NGOs and the Government in addressing issues affecting children and to devise means of deterring children from migrating or voluntarily traveling with child traffickers to the Southern Sector and elsewhere.

Participants at the workshop exhorted Management of OFS to collaborate with District Assemblies to enact by-laws in dealing with migration, streetism, and child trafficking.

They also suggested that OFS should liaise and collaborate with GPRTU, so that together, they could monitor children, especially, the under-age who migrate and child trafficking.

Participants further called on Management and Staff of OFS to intensify its public campaign about the negative effects of migration, streetism and child trafficking.