Government urged to build remand houses for boys

General News on Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Source: Myjoyonline.com

2019-01-30

The government is urged to move quickly to build a new remand center for boys who break the law after it became apparent that no such center existed across the country.

According to a statement from the Girls 'Advocacy Alliance, the only center of its kind, Osu's Boys' Home, located in Osu, was set on fire on December 28, 2018, leaving the entire country without such a center.

"It is unacceptable to see children in police cells and it is a total violation of children's rights and must be remedied immediately. The state should immediately provide at least one remand center for the country's children, "the statement said.

The Girls 'Alliance for the Defense of Girls' Rights has also expressed concern about the recent wave of abductions of girls in some parts of the country and called for increased collaboration of public security agencies to get to the bottom of things .

You will find below the complete declaration.

SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN GHANA: SITUATION OF CHILDREN'S RIGHTS AND VIOLATION OF THESE RIGHTS

Partners of the Alliance for the Advancement of Girls; The Ghana NGO Coalition for Children's Rights (GNCRC), Plan International Ghana and Defense for Children, Ghana, in collaboration with Women & Forum 39 GBA, would like to share with your team some of our requests addressed to the government and other key stakeholders, girls and women are well protected, promoted and empowered to make a decisive contribution to the country's development.

Recently, kidnappings and abductions, especially of girls and young women, have occurred in the western and Volta regions and we, stakeholders working in the interest of children and women , consider this very worrying and therefore expect security agencies to act more proactively. implications.

Chapter 5, Articles 12 to 15, of Ghana's 1992 Constitution stresses fundamental human rights and fundamental freedoms of citizens. It is therefore the State's duty to protect all citizens in order to guarantee their right to life, while the responsibility of all remains to promote their safety by avoiding dangerous places and people.

We also call on citizens to collaborate with security agencies by providing them with relevant and reliable information about the ongoing kidnapping of these girls.

We also call on citizens not to be afraid to work with security agencies to put an end to these incidents. We believe that if security agencies are able to apprehend these individuals in society, it will break the expansion of this harmful and undesirable behavior in other parts of the country.

To that end, we want affected families to trust and collaborate with security agencies during these difficult times. We also want to encourage individuals to report suspicious individuals and conversations to security agencies to prevent future abductions. Girls and young women in particular should keep in touch with their family and friends at all times and inform them of the name and address of any friends they visit or with whom they are in contact.

Secondly, we are very concerned about the situation of justice for children in the country. Currently, throughout the country, we do not have a house to house boys who are in conflict or in contact with the law. This is an unacceptable practice for which the State should immediately set up at least one remand center for the country's children.

We will remember that the Kumasi remand house was closed about 10 years ago due to the deplorable state of the house and that the repairs have been updated. The only one remaining in Accra was also burned down on December 28, 2018, leaving the entire country hopeless to solve the problem of justice for children in Ghana. It is unacceptable to see children in the police cells and it is a total violation of the rights of the child that must be remedied immediately.

We therefore ask the Minister through the Ministry of Women's Affairs, Child Welfare and Social Protection (MoGCSP) to urgently provide the necessary resources for the renovation of these facilities. At least one for the northern, central and southern bands. To the extent that we do not want children to come into conflict with the law, those who are victims of the justice system should not suffer from irresponsibility on the part of the state. Children are our future leaders, so we should provide them with the safety net that will allow them to grow well with their immediate families, their extended families or their respective communities.

In addition, we also call on development partners and the private sector, through their social responsibilities, to help these institutions and to help them provide decent and decent homes for these children in conflict or in contact with the law. Do not forget that the child can not wait and that, therefore, our response should be quick.

We also call on the media to continue to be the spokesperson for those institutions that must provide these services and the resources are not available. Let us devote some of our time to the services of some of these social vices that, if left unaddressed today, will come back to haunt us in the near future.

We hope that these issues will be resolved as quickly as possible to restore peace and justice for those affected and their families.

Support all of our efforts in protecting children, promoting their rights and preventing violence, abuse and exploitation, while uniting as key stakeholders to accelerate their empowerment for future development.

Sign:

Barima Akwasi Amankwaah, Coalition of Ghanaian NGOs for Children's Rights (GNCRC).

Anna N. Nabere, Ghana International Plan.

George Oppong, Defense for Children International, Ghana

Shiela Minka Premo, GBA Women's Forum

Thank you