Editorial
Let’s address streetism together
Streetism in Ghana is becoming a serious problem that requires immediate attention to prevent it from getting worse.
These days, it is common to see mothers relaxing in the shade as their children as young as two years stroll along the streets begging for alms from oncoming vehicles and onlookers.
This typically occurs around busy intersections and thoroughfares, like the ring road, the Kwame Nkrumah Circle area, the Atomic Junction roundabout, and the airport area, among others.
Every day, more and more children are discovered living on the streets. This is unsafe and starting to become an annoyance, therefore action needs to be taken to stop the situation from getting worse.
The United Nations estimates that around 61,492 people under the age of 18 are on the streets in the Greater Accra region of Ghana alone.
Even though there has been progress in offering assistance and services to homeless children, there is still much work to be done to completely eradicate the issue.
In fact, a number of reasons have contributed to this threat, including the challenging socioe-economic conditions that families are facing, rising urbanisation, poverty, a lack of family support, divorce, family violence, low levels of education, and single parenting.
These children are more vulnerable to malnourishment, illness, and injury since they often do not have access to basic needs such as clothing, food, shelter, and healthcare. They are exposed to harsh weather, which frequently results in a range of ailments and health issues.
According to research, children who grow up on the streets are often the ones who take up social vices including drug addiction, prostitution, armed robbery, and other similar behaviours.
The Spectator believes that public education should be used to raise awareness of streetism’s detrimental effects on children’s development in order to combat it.
Furthermore, in order to effectively combat streetism, we implore the government, churches, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), the community, and philanthropists, among others, to grant access to social services.
In light of this, The Spectator praises the government for recently cutting the sod to allow for the development of a two-storey facility that will offer comprehensive care for street children in the nation’s capital.
The “Mother Teresa Soup Kitchen” (MTSK) is intended to provide the impoverished and homeless children living on Accra’s streets with at least one healthy meal per day in addition to counselling and skill development.
“This project hopes to take children off the street starting from this very community and propel it nationwide,” Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia stated when he cut the sod for the project,
He continued, “When this project takes off, Mother Teresa Soup Kitchen will be the biggest action by a private individual and an NGO against the menace of street children in Ghana.”
Let us work together to combat streetism throughout the nation.
Dear Editor,
The recent shooting to death of Javits Frimpong, a 15 year old Ghanaian student in Bronx, USA, is a heartbreaking reminder that bullying should never be dismissed as a normal part of growing up.
Reports indicate that the teenager had allegedly been subjected to bullying at school before he was fatally shot on his way to class.
While investigations continue and the exact motive yet to be officially established, the circumstances surrounding this tragedy have raised serious concerns about the impact of not checking bullying.
What makes this loss even more painful is that Javits Frimpong, had moved from Ghana to the United States with hopes of a brighter future through education. Instead, his life was cut short at an age when he should have been pursuing his dreams and preparing for adulthood.
Bullying is often viewed as harmless teasing, but its effects can be severe and long-lasting. Victims may suffer emotional trauma, anxiety, depression, poor academic performance, and, in extreme cases, become entangled in violence.
This incident should serve as a wake-up call to schools everywhere. Complaints of bullying must be taken seriously, investigated promptly, and addressed decisively before situations escalate.
Parents, teachers, school authorities, and community leaders all share a responsibility to create safe environments for young people.
Open communication, counselling services, anti-bullying education, and effective disciplinary measures can help protect vulnerable students.
Equally important is teaching young people respect, empathy, and peaceful conflict resolution.
As we mourn the loss of Javits Frimpong, let us also commit ourselves to ensuring that no other child loses their life because warning signs were ignored. The fight against bullying is not merely a school issue; it is a societal responsibility.
Yours faithfully,
Dansoman
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The recent report that 294 teenage girls in the Ayawaso West Municipality failed to receive their Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is a depressing reminder of the gap between medical progress and public trust.
In a focused campaign with 997 girls the Roman Ridge Sub-Municipal Health Directorate reached a 70 percent coverage rate. Our public health professionals deserve praise for reaching 703 girls, but the remaining 30 percent pose a serious threat.
This shortfall is not due to a lack of institutional effort, logistics, or resources. The directorate had sufficient logistics, as highlighted by Public Health Nurse Patience Adoli Kporxah. Rather, the barrier was completely human: a lack of parental approval.
In Ghana, one of the top causes of cancer-related mortality for women is still cervical cancer. Ironically, it is also one of the most avoidable. The HPV vaccine is widely acknowledged as a safe, highly effective barrier that, when given early, can prevent up to 90 percent of cervical cancers.
Parents are unknowingly leaving their daughters vulnerable to a virus that they will probably come into contact with in the future by withholding approval.
This initiative was not initiated in secret by the health directorate. They coordinated with churches, mosques, and media outlets, spoke at Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meetings, and sent letters to schools as part of their broad public outreach efforts. However, around 300 parents continued to withhold their signatures in spite of these multi-dimensional approaches.
Why is this resistance still present? Fear, cultural taboos, and false information about vaccines and reproductive health on the internet are the main causes of vaccine hesitation rather than an intent to hurt a child. When a vaccination is administered to young teenagers in schools, it may cause unjustified concerns about fertility and sexuality.
Our public health initiatives need to change in order to close this gap before the November and December phases.
Letters and the mass media are important, but they are unable to provide precise, worried answers. During PTA meetings, health staff could think about holding direct question and answer sessions so parents may express their worries without fear of being judged.
In order to normalise the vaccine, community elders, religious leaders, and reputable local physicians must do more than simply impart knowledge; they must openly support it.
We must present the HPV vaccine as a standard, life-saving cancer prevention tool that is now completely incorporated into Ghana’s regular immunisation programme.
The entrance is still open, according to public health officials. Daughters who did not participate in the school-based activity can still get the vaccination at no cost by taking them to any government health institution.
We must work together to prevent cervical cancer in the future generation. The infrastructure, education, and dosages have been supplied by public health teams. The trust must now be provided by the parents of Ayawaso West and Ghana as a whole.
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