The decision was taken in consultation with the Upper East
Regional Security Council and the Ghana Private Road Transport
Union (GPRTU).
The decision according to the Regional Minister is to bring an
end to the increasing luring of innocent children in the region
to Accra and other coastal towns for non-existent jobs.
Mr. Wayongo disclosed that certain people benefit financially
from the exploitation of these innocent children and hopes the
new policy will avert the tide.
Under the new policy, parents or guardians with children under
the age of 16 must seek clearance from the authorities before
they will be allowed to travel outside the region.
But the policy appears to have generated mixed reactions from
human rights activists.
Head of Legal Resources, Edward Amuzu said the directive is
“potentially problematic.”
Whilst he agrees that the decision may be well intentioned, he
said it does not fall within the ambit of the laws of Ghana.
However, Dr. Sulley Gariba Head of the Institute for Policy
Alternatives (IPA), Ghana, believes the directive will serve as
deterrence to the perpetrators of those crimes.
He said it is common place for under aged children to be lined
up by some unknown individuals in the region and transported to
south only to be exploited.
Dr. Gariba expects, with such a policy in place, the practice
will be ameliorated.
Ghanadot
