IHRC Ghana: Marital Breakdown, not Grounds for
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IHRC Ghana: Marital Breakdown, not Grounds for Neglecting Parental Responsibilities.The Commissioner and Head of Volunteers of the Special Monitoring Missions of the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) Ghana IHRC Commissioner Bernard Kofi Bonarparte, has admonished parents not to hide behind the curtains of marital breakdown and divorce to neglect their parental responsibilities towards their children, rather agree to care for them and allow their children to live to full potential by giving them guidance and supporting them through formal education and giving them the opportunity to follow their dreams; this will curtail the incidence of subjecting and forcefully pushing children to child labor such as farming and galamsay.
He made the assertion on Monday 27th December during the annual Bonabear's Foundation program under auspices of the Special Monitoring Mission of the International Human Rights Commission as well as in partnership with Dueduah-1 Hotel in Awanare, a predominant Cocoa Farming community in the Atiwa West Municipal Ghana.
Commissioner Bernard Kofi who doubles as the Founder of the Bonabear Foundation Ghana and also a Global Goodwill Ambassador reiterated the basic and fundamental rights of these children which they are entitled to by adding that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly outlines the need to allow people to decide with guidance regarding children what they wish to become in future.“In Ghana, the Children's Act 560 also stresses on the need to guide a child to live his or her full potential. The Children's Act stipulates that every decision taken in connection with the child must be in the interest of the child", he hinted.
He maintained that parents and guardians need to at some point in time seek the opinion of these children. All these are in the spirit of allowing them to grow to their full potential and not to the potential of the parents and guardians.
Christmas being a time for self reflection; a time to show love and also give an account of one's self through out the year and planning against the coming year, the Bonabear Foundation organizes this annual event to educate, empower, revive values system, support education, and feed the needy.
The partnership this year aided the Foundation to feed over 1,100 men and women including children. The event had participants across the country, in attendance were dignitaries and opinion leaders from the community.
The Chief Inspector of Police also gave a cautious word to the parents to desist from engaging their wards in forceful and hard labor with the aim of having these children support them in their farm. He also said that when parents in any case identifies a child’s interest in Agriculture, they should allow the child to have formal edification whiles the child pursues courses in relations to his or her interest.
Various speakers at the event took turn to share words of encouragement to Parents considering the current Global economic crisis due to the Covid-19 negative impact on the World at large and that they should still persevere and continue to work hard as better days are ahead.
Reported:
Bernard Kofi Bonarparte
IHRC Commissioner
NVC SMM IHRC
(IHRC Ghana)
Editorial:
Fidelis Onakpoma,
IHRC Editor-in-Chief