The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has stepped up community-level education and engagement as part of efforts to reduce social vices and protect vulnerable grou
The report indicates that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has stepped up community-level education and engagement as part of efforts to reduce social vices and protect vulnerable groups across the country.
It further notes that the initiative is aimed at helping residents understand social protection issues, identify and prevent abuse, and report unlawful practices that may have become normalised in some communities.
The latest engagement was held at Tema Newtown, also known as Manhean, bringing together traditional leaders, members of the clergy, schoolchildren, persons with disabilities, government officials and other residents.
A community forum was organised to educate participants on social vices, prevention measures and channels available for reporting abuse and other unlawful activities.
Speaking to the media, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, stated the programme was designed to take social protection education directly to communities in a language residents could easily understand.
“We designed this programme to come down to the communities and engage the people in a language that they understand, so that they can appreciate what social protection is all about and know how they can contribute to protecting themselves and others.”
Dr Naa Momo Lartey stated the government, under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama, remained committed to reducing vulnerabilities across the country.
“Government, under the leadership of President Mahama, is committed to discharging its mandate and taking the necessary steps to reduce vulnerabilities to the barest minimum.”
She explained that the communities selected for the exercise were identified through data gathered by the Ministry, rather than any attempt to discriminate against particular areas.
“We are not discriminating against any community. We are following the data, and the data tells us that some communities, especially along the coastal areas, are extremely vulnerable and therefore require our attention.”
The Minister stated the Ministry had already engaged communities including Ada, Nungua and Buipe, with Tema Newtown becoming the latest beneficiary. She urged parents and other well-meaning Ghanaians to support the campaign by reporting abuse and activities prohibited by law.
“We are appealing to parents and all well-meaning Ghanaians to help us eradicate these social vices. If you see any form of abuse or something that the law considers illegal, please report it to the appropriate authorities.”
Dr Naa Momo Lartey emphasised that community members had an important role to play in helping authorities identify and tackle social vices, since government could not monitor every household and community.
“Government cannot see everything that is happening in every home and in every community. But if we educate the people and they understand how the law operates, they can assist the security agencies and the relevant authorities to fight these social vices.”
