The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and Child Rights Promotion in Ghana

Proceedings of The 4th International Conference on Advanced Research in Social Sciences

Year: 2021

DOI:

[Fulltext PDF]

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and Child Rights Promotion in Ghana

Benson, G.H, Achanso, A. S, Mohammed, A-R

ABSTRACT: 

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is so far, the most relevant and comprehensive global legal international instrument on the rights of Children. The effectiveness of its implementation within the jurisdiction of Ghana (first country in the world to ratify the Convention, as a reflection of the country’s original commitment to the course of the rights and welfare of the child), was critically examined in this modest study. Background issues on the UNCRC, the government of Ghana’s action plans towards the realization of the goals and objectives of the Convention, successes chalked, challenges encountered, and the way forward, were systematically explored. In terms of research methodology, the paper mainly draws on content analyses of existing literature regarding the implementation of the UNCRC in Ghana. Additionally, interview guides were applied to gather relevant information from 20 stakeholders made up of state institutions, government officials, civil society organizations (NGOs), children and parents, inter alia. It was found out that, whilst the government of Ghana has instituted legal and institutional reforms towards the realization of the objectives of the Convention in the country, lack of political-will remains a key challenge in that regard. Moreover, even though the UNCRC instrument has promoted Children’s rights in Ghana, gaps still exist within the implementation processes, usually emanating from the minimal commitment of stakeholders and the abysmal funding of implementing agencies by government.  To this end, the paper suggests that, government backs its reforms with political-will by providing needful financial, technical and human resources towards the realization of Convention’s goals in Ghana.

keywords: constitution; funding; government; implementation; and stakeholders.