Parents and guardians have been urged to build stronger communication bonds with their children and wards as they grow up to build confidence in them.
Nana Afua Badu I, Queen-mother of Kissi in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Municipality who made the call, said building closer ties was a way of increasing the confidence level of the adolescent.
It also helps to allay all fears and allow children to freely express themselves and share problems with parents at all times.
She made the remarks at a durbar to mark this year’s International Day of the Woman organized by the Progressive Excellence Youth Organization (PEYOUG) in Benyadze, funded by Plan International.
Nana Badu pointed out that lack of proper parent-child communication was one of the major contributory factors of streetism, teen pregnancy, rape, gender-based violence, school drop-outs and other negative issues, affecting child development.
She tasked parents to encourage their pregnant girls to go back to school after delivery to carve a better future for themselves and their babies.
They should also encourage girls to be assertive, discourage child marriages, and end all forms of violence against girls, women, and children in their homes.
The Kissi Queen-mother said parents must be responsible for identifying and developing the potentials of their children in all stages of life, adding that this could help churn out responsible adults.
She urged parents to support and encourage their children even when they failed in their efforts to help them pick up the pieces and move on for a brighter future.
Nana Eku I, Queen-mother of Benyadze, in an address noted that to develop a different world of work for girls as they grew up, they must be exposed to a broad range of careers, and encouraged to make choices that were beyond the traditional service and care options to jobs in industry, art, public service, modern agriculture, and science.
”We have to start the change at home and in the earliest of school days, so that there are no places in a child’s environment where they learn that girls must be less, have less and dream smaller than boys”.
Adjustments should therefore be made in the style of parenting, curricula, educational settings, and channels for everyday stereotypes like Television, advertisements and entertainments to take determined steps to protect young girls from harmful cultural practices like early marriage and all forms of violence.
Mr. James Okyere, the Programmes Director of PEYORG, for his part, said the celebration was aimed at promoting social responsibility among stakeholders, enhancing quality of life of beneficiary communities and also maintaining self-help spirit among its members.
He further explained that it seeks to empower women to take up leadership roles, empower them economically and create and contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals in Ghana and globally.
SOURCE: GNA
