By Jeorge Wilson KINGSON
The Minister for Women and Children’s Affairs, Juliana Azumah-Mensah, is advocating the creation of a children’s sensitive budget for the promotion of children’s rights and welfare in the country.
A children’s sensitive budget, according to her, will ensure that priority is given to budgetary allocation and budgetary outcomes, which will promote the welfare and rights of children, especially in relation to their survival, protection, development and participation.
Azumah-Mensah said Ghana needs a children’s budget because even though children form a significant portion of the country’s population they are still voiceless, and are affected by poor nutrition, poor health and poor education, among others.
“Budgetary spending affects their well being and life opportunities directly and investment in the child today determines tomorrow’s peace, stability, security, democracy and sustainable development of the nation,” she stated.
The minister made this call last week when she read a statement on the floor of parliament to this year’s African Union Day of the African Child. It was under the theme “Planning and Budgeting for Children; Our Collective Responsibility.”
“In asking for children friendly budgets, we are not asking for a separate budget for children but rather consolidating a process of assessing government’s budget that go to benefit children and directly addresses their needs,” she pointed out.
While urging all to embrace the concept of appropriate budgeting for children, the minister was hopeful that such a budget will guarantee allocation of funds for child-focused activities “especially at this critically point in our country with the oil find and all that goes with it. Also, planning and budgeting for the implementation and enforcement of laws that protect our children from the numerous abuses and exploitation that they suffer should be seen as paramount.”
According to her, the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC), which is at the forefront of formulating, promoting, coordinating and monitoring all policies and programmes that empower women and children, also has the mandate of spearheading government’s effort to mainstream gender and children’s issues into programmes of all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) at the national, regional and district levels.
“Denying the ministry and other related sectors of adequate funds would tend to limit the extent to which we are able to fulfill our mandates,” the minister told parliament.
The AU Day of the African Child was set aside by the then Organization of African Unity (OAU) in the commemoration of the massacre of some school children in Soweto, South Africa, who were marching in protest against the discriminatory apartheid educational system.
The Minister for Women and Children’s Affairs, Juliana Azumah-Mensah, is advocating the creation of a children’s sensitive budget for the promotion of children’s rights and welfare in the country.
A children’s sensitive budget, according to her, will ensure that priority is given to budgetary allocation and budgetary outcomes, which will promote the welfare and rights of children, especially in relation to their survival, protection, development and participation.
Azumah-Mensah said Ghana needs a children’s budget because even though children form a significant portion of the country’s population they are still voiceless, and are affected by poor nutrition, poor health and poor education, among others.
“Budgetary spending affects their well being and life opportunities directly and investment in the child today determines tomorrow’s peace, stability, security, democracy and sustainable development of the nation,” she stated.
The minister made this call last week when she read a statement on the floor of parliament to this year’s African Union Day of the African Child. It was under the theme “Planning and Budgeting for Children; Our Collective Responsibility.”
“In asking for children friendly budgets, we are not asking for a separate budget for children but rather consolidating a process of assessing government’s budget that go to benefit children and directly addresses their needs,” she pointed out.
While urging all to embrace the concept of appropriate budgeting for children, the minister was hopeful that such a budget will guarantee allocation of funds for child-focused activities “especially at this critically point in our country with the oil find and all that goes with it. Also, planning and budgeting for the implementation and enforcement of laws that protect our children from the numerous abuses and exploitation that they suffer should be seen as paramount.”
According to her, the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC), which is at the forefront of formulating, promoting, coordinating and monitoring all policies and programmes that empower women and children, also has the mandate of spearheading government’s effort to mainstream gender and children’s issues into programmes of all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) at the national, regional and district levels.
“Denying the ministry and other related sectors of adequate funds would tend to limit the extent to which we are able to fulfill our mandates,” the minister told parliament.
The AU Day of the African Child was set aside by the then Organization of African Unity (OAU) in the commemoration of the massacre of some school children in Soweto, South Africa, who were marching in protest against the discriminatory apartheid educational system.
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