Curious Minds participated in a consultative meeting to review the Children’s Act, Juvenile Justice Act and related laws. The occasion brought together key stakeholders and development partners to assess and strengthen legal frameworks to protect and ensure the proper development of children in Ghana.  Here’s what our members who participated had to say:

“It was a great one, the recommendations made for the amendments were fairly good, I hope more work goes into the implementation to actualize the various sections of the various acts. I believe future amendments will look at other pressing issues when need be, on a whole I think the energy was good and if same is channeled towards implementation, we’ll go a long way.” – Michael Tetteh Doku

“Yeah, so from day one where we looked at the children’s act validation, I think the proposed amendments didn’t really touch certain areas like corporal punishment and education for pregnant teens, but once we were given the opportunity to make our inputs, we made sure we contributed. This I believe will go a long way to positively affect the well-being of children.  I really liked the session where the Deputy Minister of the Gender Ministry responded to concerns about reaching every child with the amendments as well as making the final document disability-friendly. We should not leave anyone behind” – Prince Bonney

“The workshop at Ho was educative and interactive. I got to know some things I didn’t know. the penalty units charged. It was very participatory, views were sought from everyone all views were taken into consideration. Mavis presented on behalf of our group- the youngest participating group at the event. We represented children in Ghana well. The workshop was a successful one and we hope the laws made will be effectively enforced to bring about the changes and progress we desire” – Jemima

“The child protection laws consultation meeting gave me insights into some of the laws concerning children which I have heard but not seen or read before. With experts in the area of child protection such as lawyers and judges present in the meeting, I got to understand various processes involved in dealing with child offenders and how the law really works to protect them. I also saw this as an opportunity to build knowledge and share opinions about issues of children. I got to know why some laws are made and how they work for instance, the Juvenile Justice Act and the Criminal offences Act were two things I had not really come into contact with but acquired much knowledge about them.  The meeting was essential, it provided an avenue for amendments to be made to fit the ever changing trends in various communities in Ghana and the across the globe. I believe that every child stands a chance of developing to achieve their full potential if the laws that were amended to protect them are well enforced.” – Mavis Naa Korle Aryee

“The consultation on review and amendment of the children’s Act, Juvenile Justice Act and Criminal Offenses Act was a step in the right direction because I believe as we move on we need to step back and analyse where we have come from, where we have reached and where we intend to get to. This will go a long way to help in providing for the ever growing needs of children in Ghana. I would say the meeting was a successful one as a lot of experts in various fields were present to share ideas on how best these laws can be improved upon to be of  benefit to children. It is also important to note that young people were part of the process which emphasizes the fact that  young people have something to offer when it comes to making critical decisions that would go a long way to impact on their development. A lot of work has gone into this process and it’s my hope that the implementation will be done with all hands on deck to ensure that the best interest of every child is protected.” – Jennifer Johnson