Child Welfare In Ghana Essay

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Ghana is a West African country with a population of nearly twenty six million inhabitants. Children constitute almost half of the population (MESW & UNICEF, 2010). An elected president is the head of state of the presidential governmental system. To ensure fair allocation of resources and efficient administration, the ten administrative regions are decentralised into 216 municipal, metropolitan, and district assemblies. Ghana has experienced rapid economic growth and political stability in the last two decades (Breisinger et al., 2011). Significant strides have been made in reducing poverty in recent years, with poverty halved since 1992 (52%). In spite of the political and economic successes, several child welfare problems exist in Ghana …show more content…

The Act is a consolidation of all civil issues affecting children. It stipulates that a child (anyone under 18 years) has a right to education and well being as well as protection from exploitative labour, degrading treatment and child marriage and betrothal. The guiding principle of the Act is that parents have the primary obligation to maintain, care, and bring up children except the court determines that it will result in abuse or harm. In matters relating to children, their best interest is paramount (Kuyini & Mahama, 2009). According to section 11 of the Act, children have the right to express their feelings and participate in decisions affecting …show more content…

If this is not possible, the homes find children family based care through foster care and, if necessary, adoption. While the public homes mostly adhere to this principle, several children in the private homes stay in care longer than necessary. Some homes, like SOS Children 's Villages, believe that they serve children in care better by keeping them permanently in the institutional setting until they are independent and self-supporting. Other orphanages too have difficulty releasing children to their families as the children are tied to their sponsorship. Therefore, reintegrating children would mean a loss of revenue and

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