Children in the Savannah Region have called for urgent and decisive action from government, traditional authorities and relevant stakeholders in addressing pressing child protection challenges affecting their safety, education and wellbeing.
Their concerns were contained in a communiqué presented to the Savannah Regional Minister during the annual Regional Child Protection Forum held in Damongo on the theme: “Leaving No Child Behind: Strengthening Formal and Informal Partnerships to Protect, Educate and Empower Every Child.”
The forum, organised by Children Believe, an international non-governmental organisation, and its partners, brought together traditional leaders, government agencies, civil society organisations and development partners to deliberate on key child protection issues and propose solutions.
Presenting the communiqué on behalf of children in the region, Master Francis Daniel, a youth leader from Kusawgu Junior High School, appealed for immediate action to safeguard their future.
He said, “We want to grow up safe, educated, healthy and respected. We are the future of the region but we need your support today. Please, act now. Protect us now. Invest in us now.”
The communiqué highlighted major challenges facing children in the region, including high rates of child marriage, the continued practice of female genital mutilation, keeping children with disabilities in prayer camps, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse and child labour.
It also raised concern about the high number of out-of-school children, noting that more than 43.2 per cent of children in the region had never attended school—the highest in the country according to the 2021 Population and Housing Census.
Madam Esenam Kavi De Souza, Country Director of Children Believe, emphasised that all children had a right to live free from violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect.
She referenced global statistics indicating that more than one billion children experience violence every year and cited findings from the 2025 United Nations Child Rights Committee report, which noted that harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation persisted in parts of northern Ghana despite existing national frameworks to address them.
She called for strengthened enforcement of child protection laws, greater investment in child protection systems and adequate resourcing for national policy implementation.
She also highlighted the role of the Child Friendly Accountability Mechanism in empowering children to understand their rights, identify protection gaps and contribute to solutions aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 16.2, which seeks to end all forms of violence against children.
Receiving the communiqué on behalf of the Regional Minister, Mr Ben Ken Nkrumah, Savannah Regional Director of the Department of Children, acknowledged the concerns raised and reaffirmed government’s commitment to protecting children and ensuring their enrolment and retention in school.
Chairing the forum, Damangowura Seidu Boresa, Paramount Chief of Damongo, commended Children Believe and its partners for organising the event, noting that the issues discussed affected children not only in the Savannah Region but across the country.
He called for similar fora to be institutionalised in all districts and regions to remind stakeholders of their responsibility to safeguard children’s wellbeing.
Stakeholders at the forum agreed on several actions, including the need for traditional authorities to support law enforcement agencies in handling child protection cases, parents to prioritise the welfare of their children, district assemblies to pass and gazette by-laws to reinforce national child protection laws, and the National Commission for Civic Education to intensify public sensitisation to eliminate female genital mutilation.
They also called for improved number and quality of special schools to ensure children with disabilities received appropriate care and support.
