NATIONAL AND REGIONAL CHILD PROTECTION COMMITTEE 1ST AND 2ND QUARTER MEETING

On Tuesday 19th August, 2025 in Accra, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), through the Department of Children, with support from Plan International, World Vision Int., and UNICEF held its 1st and 2nd quarter meetings of the National Child Protection Committee (NCPC) and the Regional Child Protection Committees (RCPCs) to disseminate Ghana’s commitments towards ending violence against children.

The meeting formed part of efforts to cascade the country’s pledges under the 1st Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children (CEVAC) to stakeholders at national and sub-national levels.

Among other things, the meeting sought to:

• Share a simplified version of Ghana’s commitments to ending violence against children for easy understanding by stakeholders;

• Ensure members of the NCPC and RCPCs acquire the knowledge needed for effective planning in disseminating these commitments to their constituencies;

• Foster collaboration among committee members for coordinated implementation;

• Articulate the role of each stakeholder in attaining the 2030 targets; and

• Provide a platform for partners to present updates on their activities during the first and second quarters of the year.

The gathering also highlighted the critical role of Child Protection Committees in safeguarding the rights and welfare of children across the country. Beyond addressing issues such as child marriage, child labour, and streetism, members are expected to be key players in rolling out Ghana’s pledge, which is anchored on the globally recognised INSPIRE strategies.

In his opening remarks on behalf of the Chief Director for the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Afisah Zakariah, the Acting Director of the Department of Children, Mr. Sefah Alexander Boadu underscored the Ministry’s commitment to creating a safe and protective environment for all children in Ghana. He emphasized the need for collective action among stakeholders to ensure that children are protected from violence, abuse, exploitation, and neglect.

Mr. Sefah Boadu further reiterated that the Ministry, through the Department of Children, will continue to provide technical guidance and coordination to ensure that the National and Regional Child Protection Committees function effectively. He stressed the importance of documenting lessons learned, sharing best practices, and building synergies among stakeholders to strengthen the national child protection system.

The Ag. Director reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to working with all stakeholders to ensure that every child in Ghana is protected, safe, and able to thrive.

Following his remarks, a Principal Programmes Officer at the Department of Children, Madam Abena Aprekua Badu-Aboagye made a presentation on the Terms of Reference for NCPC members and highlighted key issues raised across the regions regarding child rights protection. Her intervention drew attention to persistent challenges and underscored the need for improved coordination and responsiveness at both the national and regional levels.

A representative from UNICEF, Madam Young Joo Lee also delivered a presentation on the organisation’s four-phase maturity model for evaluating national child protection systems. She noted that Ghana scored 57 points as of last year, positioning the country within Phase 3 of the model. She further indicated that with the progress made so far in strengthening coordination, service delivery, and accountability frameworks, Ghana stands a strong chance of advancing into Phase 4—the “System Maturity” stage — which signifies a well-established and functional national child protection system.

The meetings reaffirmed the Ministry’s resolve to strengthen collaboration with partners to ensure that Ghana fulfils its international pledges and accelerates progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 16.2—ending all forms of violence against children by 2030.

Source: MoGCSP