Editorial
Promote welfare of African children
The African Union hosts the annual International Day of the African Child on June 16 to increase awareness of the rights and ongoing struggles of African children.
Additionally, the day offers a forum for talking about and addressing topics including healthcare, education, and safety from exploitation and abuse.
It began in 1976 when students in Soweto, South Africa, were killed for demonstrating against inequality and injustice in education.
Since children have rights that must be upheld, the African Day celebration is appropriate because it serves as a poignant reminder to our communities to put children’s needs first, ensuring that they develop and realise their full potential.
Most importantly, it pushes people, governments, and communities to address pressing issues like child labour, inadequate education, and to ensure safe, healthy environments.
This year’s theme, “Planning and budgeting for children’s rights: progress since 2010,” is no exception to the efforts done thus far by governments, individuals, parents, and others to advance the welfare of children.
In addition to their rights to nutritious food, medical care, secure housing, and high-quality education, children also require emotional support, safety, and protection from danger in order to flourish.
Children’s physical, mental, and social development depends on these necessities, yet far too many continue to be denied their rights and go without food, housing, water, or health care.
While eating, sleeping, playing, and learning are all important aspects of a child’s growth, some children do not find these activities enjoyable. Such children work independently to make ends meet although their parents are responsible for that role,
Many people and organisations have put a lot of effort into making sure that children’s rights are outlined, upheld, and safeguarded; thus, everyone must keep fighting for children’s rights.
The Convention on the Rights of a Child (CRC) was created in 1989 as a result of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which served as the foundation for all legal norms pertaining to children’s rights. This is the first international agreement with legal force that covers all human rights.
Therefore, a multifaceted strategy encompassing legal frameworks, education, community involvement, and tackling systemic challenges is needed to assure the preservation of children’s rights.
Laws that safeguard children from abuse must be put into place and upheld, public awareness of children’s rights and protection must be increased, and safe spaces must be established in institutions and communities.
Let us all work together to defend the rights of African children.
Editorial
Urgent call to address sanitation, environmental neglect at Legon City Campus, Makola-Tudu Junction
Dear Editor
Ghana is grappling with mounting sanitation and environmental neglect and as a concerned citizen and advocate for a cleaner, safer and more presentable academic environment, I feel compelled to highlight disturbing issues I encountered during a recent visit to the enclave of Workers College, currently operating as Legon City Campus of the University of Ghana as well as Accra Central, specifically the stretch from Makola towards Tudu, just after the Ghana National Fire Service office.
At the Legon City Campus, formerly known as Workers College, widespread overgrowth of weeds along campus walls and walkways poses both safety and structural risks.
The unchecked vegetation is encroaching on pedestrian pathways and threatening the stability of surrounding walls.
Behind the campus, near the road to Adabraka and Liberia Road, garbage and overgrown weeds have turned the area into an eyesore, undermining the prestige of one of Ghana’s premier universities.
The environmental degradation reflects poorly on the institution’s leadership and jeopardizes student and community health.
I would like to urge the University of Ghana Estate Department to act immediately, clearing the weeds, reinforcing structural elements, cleaning the garbage-strewn areas, and establishing a consistent maintenance schedule.
This will ensure safety, institutional pride and civic responsibility.
In Accra Central, a similar crisis is festering. A growing heap of refuse near the Makola-Tudu Junction, just past the Ghana National Fire Service office has overwhelmed pedestrian walkways and spilled into vehicular lanes.
This not only causes human and traffic congestion but also creates a hazardous public health situation in one of the city’s busiest commercial zones.
As a tour guide and advocate for Ghana’s tourism industry, this development has damaging impact on the country’s image.
Tourists encountering filth in the capital’s core are left with a negative impression, counteracting national efforts to boost tourism.
I therefore call on the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Osu Klottey Municipal Assembly, and sanitation agencies to enforce waste management laws, improve public hygiene infrastructure and revive the National Sanitation Day initiative to foster civic responsibility.
It is time for authorities at all levels to demonstrate leadership and restore dignity to these vital spaces. The status quo is no longer acceptable.
Frederick Nortey (Traveler, Tour Guide, Blogger, Writer)
Accra
Editorial
Renovate Efua Sutherland Children’s Park
The Efua Sutherland Children’s Park at West Ridge in the Greater Accra Region, now in ruins, needs renovations.
The once-vibrant recreational centre for children, families, students, and tourists is now in a state of neglect, according to our reporter who visited the place.
Efua Sutherland, a well-known playwright and children’s author, is honoured by the Park, an important recreational and cultural area. Her work with children made her a notable figure in Ghanaian literature and education.
The Park used to be well-known and a popular destination for schoolchildren, particularly during vacation, but today visitors are met with outdated machinery and dilapidated infrastructure.
A vital green space in the city, the park provides a calm setting for families and children to unwind, play, and take part in cultural events. It is relevant because it fosters community life, offers recreational opportunities, hosts cultural events, and connects people to their Ghanaian heritage.
Additionally, both locals and visitors may easily access it due to its central location. Nothing seems to have been done to update the space or give it a facelift.
During The Spectator’s tour of the facility it was observed that the 14.83-acre playground’s equipment has rusted and turned into death traps instead of serving the intended purpose of entertaining guests.
Children are put off by the condition of the equipment because they are afraid of getting hurt. Inquiries at the location also showed that few people visit to inquire about the place and that its current condition makes it unappealing for event planners to host special events there. This calls into question the country’s dedication to maintaining such iconic and public areas.
There is an urgent need to address the terrible situation.
In order to ensure that events are hosted in the park, The Spectator urges the Ministry of Gender, Women and Social Protection (MCWSP), which is in charge of overseeing the facility, to collaborate with investors and other stakeholders to give it a facelift.
We think that if the Park is renovated, it will draw more event planners and regain its reputation as a communal hub that promotes cultural pride and a sense of belonging.
