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Afram Plains children have a right to education - Betty Krosbi Mensah

Member of Parliament for Afram Plains North, Betty Nana Efua Krosbi Mensah has said children of Afram Plains deserve the right to education in the wake of they being used by boat masters for fishing whiles they should be in school whiles others are trafficked.

Date Created : 8/22/2018 4:09:58 AM : Story Author : Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanadistricts.com

She further pointed out that her constituency is surrounded by water, the Volta Lake and various rivers.

According to the Afram Plains North legislator her constituency is rated high as one of the place where child labour is practiced and further pointed out that, she does not want to limit it to only child trafficking which is prevalent.

She made this remarks, when through her effort she was able to collaborate with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Kwahu Afram Plains Assembly to organise a sensitization durbar for the people of Afram Plains North.

The sensitization durbar was against child labour and human trafficking. The day was marked in Ghana at Bridge Ano, in the Kwahu Afram Plains District.

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly through its resolution sets 30th of July every year as a day against human trafficking (Blue Day), to create awareness of the dangers in human trafficking and the need to protect victims against the practice.

Last year, an international non-governmental organisation (NGO), Justice Mission in collaboration with armed police officers raided the waters and surrounding Dwarf Island and took away children from their families who were on the lake travelling, accompanying their parents, brothers to fish and for other economic reasons.

The Assembly members from the Kwahu Afram Plains District were very grateful to the Member of Parliament for Afram Plains North for her effort in ensuring that children who were rescued last year when there was a raid are doing well.

“Children of Afram Plains have a right to live a peaceful life and not to be abused by their parents and other authorities”. She was delighted that out of the two hundred and seventy-five constituencies in the country, “we travelled passed Donkorkrom to Bridge Ano to mark this day”, she said.

The Afram Plains North lawmaker pointed out that children in Afram Plains are very intelligent and brilliant, and believes if they are given equal opportunities like children in Accra and other urban cities in Ghana they would excel.

On the issue of teenage pregnancy, Betty Mensah said available statistics indicate that they place second and pointed out that there is lack of teachers in the classrooms, as people are not motivated to be in the classroom.

“We have a total of five hundred and seventy-three communities, if you go to the Ghana Education Service right now, the basic schools in Afram Plains do not add up to hundred and thirty so the remaining communities what happens to them?”

She appealed to government and civil society organizations who are interested in the well-being of the children of Afram Plains to come to their aid, as MPs resources are quite limited, but assured to build pavilions, and provide reading and learning materials.

Again community teachers would be recruited and sponsored to be able to stay in the classroom to help end teenage pregnancy, child labour and trafficking.