Chief Inspector Michael Yao Azaglo, Golokwati Station Officer of the Ghana Police Service, has encouraged the youth to report cases of domestic violence.
He said when such cases were reported to the Police, it helped to address them timely.
Chief Inspector Azaglo said most youth witnessed cases of domestic violence and needed the encouragement to report to the appropriate authorities such as the police for resolution.
The Chief Inspector speaking during a Youth Advisory Board Training Workshop held at the St. Francis College of Education in Hohoe, said children who witnessed such cases were affected psychologically and physically and made it difficult for them to concentrate in school with such incidents in mind.
He said when these cases get reported, it did not mean that such parents would be sent to jail but rather, given the necessary advice to keep the children safe.
Chief Inspector Azaglo advised the youth not to engage in drug abuse as it had so many side effects.
The workshop was organised by Plan International Ghana in collaboration with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).
Mrs Ellen A. Amankwa, NCCE Director, Afadzato South District, urged the participants to become advocates of information and guidance and should be bold, speak and represent views of others who felt unable to do so.
The Director noted that although the participants were empowered to become advocates, there was the need for them to be humble and obedient in order to “get the heart of elders in the community.”
She said issues of teenage pregnancy were becoming a big problem hence the need to educate the participants on adolescent and teenage pregnancy issues to ensure that children’s need for the issues could be met.
A total of 20 girls and eight boys from 14 communities in the Hohoe, Afadzato South and Jasikan Districts benefitted from the workshop.
Mr Alfred Dzikunoo, Acting Programme Influencing and Impact Area Manager for the Southern Sector, Plan International Ghana, said it was the Organisation’s work to reduce challenges children and youth faced in their way of development.
He said the youth were being urged to speak for themselves and tell what their challenges were since they had the challenges in their various communities and districts.
Mr Dzikunoo said the training would build the capacity of the participants to be able to have the skills including; communication and leadership for them to become lead advocates in their communities and districts.
He said it was expected that the participants would continue to learn, discuss and interact among themselves with support from their patrons to enable them to be abreast with issues that concerned them as youth.
The Manager said materials including; dictionaries would be given to the participants to know how to get their issues, challenges and put them across better.
He said once such challenges were identified, they would be discussed among the lead advocates while they found ways of presenting them to community leaders to be addressed.
