BONO REGIONAL CHILDREN’S DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR ADVOCATES STRONGER MEASURES AGAINST CHILD STREETISM

The Bono Regional Director of the Department of Children, Mr. George Yaw Ankamah, has raised alarm over the increasing trend of child streetism and alms begging, urging for stricter law enforcement to curb the practice.
In an interview granted in Sunyani, Mr. Ankamah emphasized that streetism and begging involving children constitute serious violations of their fundamental rights and dignity. He stressed the need for arrest and prosecution of individuals and families who exploit children for such activities.
“Now many people including foreigners have taken advantage of the nation’s hospitability and thereby exploiting innocent children street begging,” Mr. Ankamah said, adding that many of these children are forced to fend for themselves, which further increases their vulnerabilities.
He further pointed out that child streetism not only violates human rights but also deprives children of access to formal education, proper shelter, and a safe environment necessary for their holistic development.
While acknowledging that the Department has intensified advocacy efforts to rescue and rehabilitate these vulnerable children, Mr. Ankamah highlighted a major challenge — the lack of shelter homes across the regions.
“That is making it very challenging,” he noted, stressing the need for urgent infrastructure support.
“The provision of shelter homes at the regional and district levels will be a significant step towards addressing the street begging among children and thereby provide a safe haven for them to thrive,” he stated.
Mr. Ankamah concluded by calling on government and stakeholders to take pragmatic and immediate steps to combat child streetism and ensure a more secure and dignified future for all children.