Defilement and child trafficking still rampant in Volta Region

Ho, Jan. 24, - Mr Israel Akrobortu, the Volta Regional Director of the Department of Children, has observed that defilement, early marriage and child trafficking cases were still rampant in the Region.

He said though a lot was done in the last two years on child protection in the Region, much was not achieved due to lack of coordination by sector agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

Mr Aklorbortu, who was interacting with the Ghana News Agency in Ho,  said the focus of most NGOs was on announcing rescue successes and not tackling the root causes of the issues.

He said consequently, defilement, early marriage and child trafficking issues were still rampant in the Region in a more covert manner.

Mr Aklorbortu said a cursory observation indicated that victims were now more afraid and shied away from sharing their experiences with authorities and called for concerted efforts from all stakeholders to protect children.

He underscored the need for academic institutions to undertake researches into issues that affect children and propose practical solutions to secure their future in the country.

Mr Aklorbortu said the Department received information regularly on child abuse cases in difficult-to-reach communities with issues of lack of school facilities and learning materials and called for support for the Department to reach out to those children.

GNA