Stakeholders and enforcement institutions of child rights issues have pledged to ensure the safety and protection of children's rights in society.

According to them, continued discussions on issues affecting children were essential since problems faced by them in communities were on the increase despite the efforts to curtail them.

The stakeholders made the pledge at the close-up meeting of the Girls Advocacy Alliance (GAA) Project in Kumasi.

They emphasized the need to promote sex education for adolescents as a tool for reducing Gender-Based Violence, teenage pregnancy and commercial sexual exploitation.

The Girls Advocacy Alliance (GAA) project (2016-2020) was a 5-year project which focused on advocating for the rights and welfare of women, children and girls.

It aimed at ending child marriages, child labour by keeping girls in schools longer to achieve economic independence through technical and vocational training for girls, among others.

The project was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Defence for Children International (DCI), Ending Child Prostitution and Trafficking through the Defence for Children International Ghana.

It was implemented by Defence for Children (DCI) Ghana, Plan International Ghana and Ghana NGO Coalition on the Rights of the Child (GNCRC) in the Ashanti, Eastern, Northern and Upper West Regions.

In the Ashanti Region, it targeted the Kumasi Metropolis, Asokore Mampong and the Obuasi Municipalities.

Mrs Patricia Kyeremateng Berchie, Ashanti Regional Director of Social Welfare, said the project came as a complement to the directorate since they spearheaded the welfare of the marginalized in the society.

Madam Aba Oppong, Programme Facilitator, was optimistic that the resilient and sustainable measures put in place by project implementers would have a positive impact on the people.

Among some of the initiatives developed were the training of champions of change, youth advocates, formation of school clubs, engagement with traditional and religious leaders as well as the formation of a children's parliament.