The chief of the Zogu community in the Savelugu/Nantong Municipality of the Northern Region has cautioned parents and guardians to refrain from allowing their children to migrate to the bigger cities in search for non-existing jobs.
According to Naa Iddi, young girls migrating to either Accra or Kumasi for head porter job popularly called Kayaye degrades the dignity of the people in north and warn parents to guide their children against it.
He lamented over the insolent behavior of some parents and youth of the area over the past years towards education and urged his elders and community members to see the education of their wards as a future investment
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Naa Iddi advised children of school-going age not to idle about but to take seriously their education to equip themselves with the requisite knowledge to lead the future. Naa Iddi also decried the poor performance of school children in Zogu and asked parents to put the fear of Allah in their hearts in bringing up their children.
The Zogu Chief was speaking at a community sensitization forum organized by Tumakavi, a local NGO in the region to mark World Day Against Child Labour in Zogu.
On his part, the programs Manager of TumaKavi Ghana, Nathaniel Sulemana said Zogu community was selected after carefully considering the number of child migrants to the southern parts of Ghana to engage in “Kayaye”.
He said children who migrate to the southern parts of Ghana are vulnerable to social vices such as rape and defilement, and are easily susceptible to sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS.
He asked students of the community to see themselves as a torch that would light the way into the future. According to him, the sensitization is expected to build capacity of parents and guardians on child rights so that parents will see children as humans with their own set of rights and needs.
The Operations Base Team Leader of World Vision Ghana, Timothy Akanpabadai implored parents to nib in the bud, the act of child marriage such that every child could realize their full potential.
He said it is every parent’s duty to make lives of their children worth living. He blamed marital challenges on forceful marriages and asked parents to put an end to the blame game when their children did not live up to expectation, but look out for the possible causes and remedies of such acts.
He noted that World Vision Ghana and partner organizations are keenly interested in the welfare of children and that is why they put in a good measure of resources to ensure that the health and educational needs of children are met. “We are positive that this sensitization will yield the expected benefits for the community members especially the children.” Said Akanpabadai”
By; Abubakari Jamaldeen/zaaradio.com
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