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‘Create family size you can cater for’
A member of staff of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Accra, Mr Abass Braimah, has charged men to create family sizes they could easily cater for to avoid raising irresponsible children in society.
He explained that parents had the task of supporting their wards physically, psychologically and mentally and, therefore, would need to have the right number of children they could care for in their homes.
He said that even though some religions permitted men to marry more than one woman, the same God would hold every man who was unable to cater for his children responsible for producing more children he could contain.
Mr Braimah was speaking at the National launch of the Child Marriage Campaign at Dondoli in the Upper West Region. The campaign which was at the behest of the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) with support from the UNFPA sought to enhance mechanisms for reporting child marriage and other abuse cases against children to the appropriate authorities for redress.
“As a Muslim, even though I am entitled to more than a wife, my busy schedule at work will not enable me cater for many children than I have at the moment; and it is not just about money but being able to thoroughly monitor and discipline them so that they grow up as responsible adults”, he said.
Mr. Braimah said that many children these days grew up in families where some parents were not aware of their daily movement as a result of raising money to cater for the home stressing that it was advisable to stick to a smaller family size.
“Sometimes social vices among children occur when a man marries more than one woman and has more children he can not cater for that is why the Holy Quran enjoins men to only go in for those additional wives when they are sure they would be able to treat all of them equal with love and do justice to each of them”, he said.
He emphasised that having a sizeable number of children helped to better care for their needs and ensure that they were properly raised.
“With a small family size, you can easily teach the children your religion, how to make supplication and how to even take care of their personal hygiene and remain responsible”, he said.
Touching on the issue of child marriage, Mr Braimah stated that when people gave birth to a lot of children than they could cater for in the midst of extreme poverty, the tendency of giving some of the girls out for early marriage was high.
He again said that because the children were many and were not properly catered for, some of them could indulge in early sex for money to purchase their basic needs or simply follow bad friends to live promiscuous life which could result in teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
Mr Braimah advised men to live within their means and create family sizes they could cater for, not just financially but psychologically and emotionally as well.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Dondoli
Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Mahama, has made a generous donation to the country’s national female Under-17 and Under-20 teams – Black Maidens and Black Princesses- as they continue preparations for major international assignments.
The donation, made on Friday, May 22, was presented on behalf of the First Lady by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, at the GFA Technical Centre in Prampram.
The gesture forms part of efforts to motivate and support Ghana’s young female footballers as they prepare to represent the country on the international stage.
The donation included essential food items and toiletries aimed at supporting the welfare and well-being of the players and technical teams.
The donation included cartons of Milo, T-rolls, soft drinks, toiletries, and a range of essential supplies aimed at supporting the welfare of the players, enhancing camp conditions, and easing preparations ahead of their respective assignments.
The Black Maidens are currently engaged in preparations for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers and are set to take on Liberia women’s national under-17 football team in the second-leg encounter in Liberia this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Black Princesses have already secured qualification to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after overcoming Uganda in the qualifiers, extending Ghana’s remarkable record to eight consecutive appearances at the tournament.
The donation by the First Lady was expected to boost morale within both camps while reinforcing national support for the young female footballers who continue to make the country proud.
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
