‘Churches must promote child protection issues’

Mr Padmoore Baffour Agyapong, Country Director for Compassion International, Ghana, a child Development Organisation, on Wednesday said child protection is a biblical mandate which church leaders must promote to release children from poverty.

He said if governments and the laws seemed to be silence on child protection, the church could not afford to close its eyes over it.

“Church leaders have the mandate to put in a voice to protect children in their care and if the church, for that matter, has the voice, how is it using that power to change societal evils… the change must start from the church because they have closer links with the community,” he said.

Mr Agyapong was speaking at a Pastors’ Conference organised by Compassion International Ghana for 220 Pastors from some selected churches across the country.

The conference, on the theme “Child Protection: A call to Action” was to create the awareness on child abuse and how to identify, report and follow-up on child abuse cases.

They would also use the forum to share past experiences in handling child abuses in their communities and recommend measures for stakeholders to take action to protect children in the country.

The three-day conference is an annual event which provides the platform for Pastors of Church Partners to provide a powerful voice around common theme bothering on children’s welfare.

Mr Agyapong said child protection is about preventing the act from happening and not waiting for it to happen before finding measures to correct it.

He noted if children are not protected from abuses they cannot developed and urged churches to educate their members on child protection issues.

He commended the media and Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service for their continued support and promotion and for ensuring that children’s rights are respected.

Ms Christine Srofenyo, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in charge of DOVVSU at Madina Police Station, said child abuse comes in different form and have diverse effect on the formation of children.

She said every child worldwide has the right to food, shelter, parents, school, clothes and it is the responsibility of every parent to provide their wards these rights.

She said in Ghana, her outfit used several local and international laws and conventions to protect the rights of children and urged the public to join in the crusade to achieve the goal of releasing children from poverty.

Reverend Dr Nii Amoo Darku, a member of the National Peace Council, launching the Ghana programme Report 2014, also urged Pastors and churches to speak to protect the vulnerable.

At this year’s conference, the Pastors would be speaking for the over 57,000 children registered on the Compassion International, Ghana Child Development through sponsorship and more than 300 mother to Child Units.