Kumasi, Nov 13, – A law lecturer
has called for a comprehensive legislation, criminalizing and punishing child
pornography and other emerging forms of child sex abuse.
Professor Robin Walker Sterling
of the faculty of law, University of Ghana, Legon, said people out there using
the internet to groom and lure children into prostitution and other-related
sexual practices, should not have their way.
She complained about the lack of
a distinct legal provision, penalizing the possession, production and
distribution or sale of child pornographic materials.
This, she said, gave cause for
serious concern, considering how vulnerable children were to emerging trends of
sexual abuse.
Prof Sterling was contributing to
discussions at the Ashanti Regional consultative meeting held in Kumasi with
stakeholders on the review of the Children’s Act and Juvenile Justice Act.
On hand to participate, were
representatives from the judicial service, security agencies – military,
police, immigration and prisons, Commission for Human Rights and Administrative
Justice (CHRAJ) civil society and NGOs.
It was organized by the
Department of Children of the Gender, Children and Social Protection Ministry with
support from the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund
(UNICEF).
The goal was to help address gaps
in the laws passed to give protection to children and ensure their wellbeing.
Prof Sterling said with the
growing use of the internet to perpetrate crimes, it was important to provide
children with security tit bits to protect them from abuse.
She said, as space was given to
children to grow, they should be guided to make the right choices to become
responsible and useful to the society.
GNA
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