73.4% OF GHANAIAN CHILDREN ARE DEPRIVED OF SERVICES AND BASIC RIGHTS –NDPC REPORT

According to a report by the Ghana, Multidimensional Child Poverty Report children in Ghana experience significant deprivations in the services and denial of their basic rights. The report has also called for appropriate policy, actions and investment in children.

According to the report, nearly three out of four children (73.4%) in Ghana are deprived of nutrition, health, learning, protection, water, sanitation, housing and information. It also states that there are 2.5% of Ghanaian children who are without any deprivation. It is believed that these children are deprived in at least three of the eight dimensions.

The report was written by the collective efforts of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), The Ghana Statistical Service and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, in collaboration with UNICEF.

The 107-page report has called for an increase in political will to priorities child poverty issues at all levels of campaign. It also recommended that specific groups of child based on their location should be targeted and as well as making child poverty a priority in order to increase allocation for funds in child poverty reduction.

It also called for intensified public health education and campaign on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of a child’s life and increasing community engagements to promote positive parental and caregiving attitudes and practices.

The first lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akuffo –Addo, who delivered the keynote address at the launch of the report expressed the need to identify and implement interventions to contribute to the eventual eradication of child poverty.

She said, “we need to break the cycle of inter-generational deprivation, and develop the capacity of children to make a successful transition through adulthood”.

Adding her voice to the report, Ms.Anne-Claire Dufay, the UNICEF Country Representative also said, the report would be a useful source of data and advocacy and policymaking while serving as a good reference for many sectors of the economy to reduce child poverty in Ghana.

Source GNA