1. PROVIDING A CULTURAL
CONTEXT FOR
- CHILD RIGHTS,
- CHILD PROTECTION
- CHILD SAFETY AND SECURITY
PRESENTED BY
CECILIA AMA ANDERSON - EXECUTIVE CO-ORDINATOR
GLOBAL CHILDREN ACTION NETWORK
P. O. BOX KN 6006, ACCRA – GHANA
Email: cecilia_anderson2002@yahoo.com

2. Traditional Family Units
External
family
Extended
Family
Community

3. Traditional Support systems for child
protection
Nucleus family
External family
- Immediate social
networks and
support links
Community
Extended Family
- Social rights
- Recognised
kinship rights
- Clan/ Kinship
positions
Traditional Maxim:
- Children are born by parents,
-They are owned by the family
-But, belongs to the community
- Access to
family assets
- Social
networks and
support links
-

4. External Family
- Maternal/Paternal
Grandparents
- Siblings of parents
and their children
Extended Family
- Relations of both
grandparents that link
the extended and
immediate families the
child belongs to
Child
Community
- Traditional leaders
- Institutional bodies
- FBOs/CBOs and
private
Immediate Family
-Parents
-Siblings
- Other care givers

5. Rippling Effects of cross cultural
exposures and globlisation
Urbanisation / Rural
deprivation
Population explosion
and impact on
available resourceslands, etc
Monetary-based
economy and
demand on
domestic income
sources
Associated
challenges that
negatively impact
on children
Family migration to
urban centers /
impact of movement
due to economic
pressures

6. Effect 1: Fragmentation
Nucleus
Movement of families to
urban areas has led to:
 Fragmentation in kinship
relations
 Changes in family values
due to exposure to other
cultures/ practices
 Dysfunctions in family
committed support
system as these are now
limited to
funerals, traditional
marriage rites, etc
 More promotion of nucleus
family systems instead of
of a communal social
network support.
Family
Extended
Family
External
Family
Community

7. Effects #1 - Providing a regional context
Children in countries within the West African Region
from UNICEF and other reports, are experiencing
various crises that have placed much stress and trauma
on them:
- political and ethnic conflicts,
- rise in poverty status,
- countries experiencing the highest form of voluntary
child migration as children move to the cities to seek
for non-existing jobs as means of survival
 Children living with parents, guardians or other
caregivers migrating to live on the street leading to
streetism
 Child trafficking leading to child prostitution and child
pornography,
 Increase in children’s crime and coming in contact with
the law
 Children in armed conflicts due to wars and intrachieftaincy tensions and conflicts.


8. Effects #2- Impact on Children


Age registered children from six (6) years including
those 10-17 years do not have any committed
adult supervision as most were born by teenage
mothers without any parenting skills and so fall
within the most vulnerable children’s net.
An estimated 49.9% of children below 15 years
living with both parents in extreme or moderate
poverty, whilst the 50.1% live with foster and
single parents under condition that gives a high
vulnerability risk signal
Source: Ghana National Commission on Children; Save the Children:
Ghana’s Children - A Country Report, 1997:7

9.  Effects
#3 - Child Vulnerability
1. Children become easy prey for abusers and
violators
2. Open to risk but ignorant of impact on their
future and well-being – health, education, etc
3. Have little or no knowledge of rights, abuse
and protection needs
4. No socio-cultural support systems for
exercising rights and demand for protection
5. Lack of institutional supervision and support
systems and structures and existing ones not
functioning well.

10. Effect 4# - Results of Children
Vulnerability?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Break down in law and order
Specific risks in life-cycle occurs – voluntary and
involuntary child labour, high school
dropout, early marriages or pregnancies, etc.
Children assuming adult tasks such as care for
siblings by engaging in income generating
activities
Created inter-generational poverty trap cycles
HIV & AIDS prevalence
Children vulnerable due to breakdown in
support systems – kinship and community care
as well as intra/inter family social networks
(external/extended)

11. Ghana as a case study



57% of Ghanaian children aged 5-14 years are
involved in some form of child labour – selling on
the streets, etc
On the average, 25% girls are forced into some
domestic servitude or early marriage annually;
An estimated total of 1,273,294 that form 20% of
Ghanaian children, are engaged in moderate or
worse forms of child labour and other economic
activities –
- mining, fishing, street hawking, stone
quarrying, sand winning, working in shallow or
deep sea fishing,
- working as shepherds and engaged in farming or
processing agricultural products, including
hunting, petty trading, etc.

12. Children in Ghana
It is estimated that 42% of Ghana’s population
are under 15years
 Out of this 22% are out of school
Major Problems facing children
- Streetism due to voluntary migration of children
of varied ages from rural to urban areas;
- Adult trafficking of children;
- Increase in child prostitution;
- Child labourers/workers in mines, fishing, petty
trading and agriculture production and
processing, etc instead of being in school;
- Parental irresponsibility and neglect causing
children to engage in economic activities for
survival or use money gained to meet needs they
have.


13. What must be done?




Link up and network to stop child abuse by not just
talking about the issues.
Build a strong synergy regionally and set targets to be
achieved in addressing factors that drive child
vulnerability and influence them to make choices that
later affect their own future – dropping out of school to
earn a living because that is more attractive or running
away with friends to seek for adventure instead of
focusing in education and setting career targets.
Revisiting indigenous approaches to child protection by
strengthening the family systems and restoring kinship
cohesion.
Learn from Western mistakes in methods and
approaches to interpreting what constitutes child rights
and protection by building their good practices without
compromising internal morals and values.

14. Protecting Children?
It is everybody’s business –
children, parents, family
links/community, state and para-state
institutions, government and the
international community.
BE THAT CANDLE OF HOPE FOR A CHILD.
THANK YOU