Chiefs urged to expunge customs that impedes on child rights

Mpohor (W/R), July 8, GNA - Osabarima Kwao Entsie, Omanhene (Paramount Chief) of Mpohor Traditional Area, has appealed to traditional rulers to do away with customary practices that undermined children's rights.

Osabarima Entsie who was speaking with the Ghana News Agency at Mpohor, in the Mpohor Wassa East District of the Western Region on Wednesday, also called on the rulers to settle marital disputes amicably to protect the sanctity of marriage and the family system.

He requested the Government to ensure that all laws on the rights of children were strictly enforced.

Osabarima Entsie said it was imperative for laws on children to be strictly adhere to since they were the future leaders and the human resource base of the country.

He said poverty; irresponsible parenting; broken marriages; child abuse, peer influence and bad customary practices contributed to the phenomenon of street children.

Osabarima Entsie suggested that the Government should involve traditional authorities in addressing these problems.

He said parents should be encouraged and supported financially to enable them undertake income generating activities that could help them provide for the educational and other needs of their children.