Experts of the Committee on the Rights of the Child Commend Ghana for Children’s Model Summit of the Future, Raise Questions on Birth Registration and Corporal Punishment
The Committee on the Rights of the Child today concluded its consideration of the sixth and seventh combined periodic report of Ghana under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, with Committee Experts commending the State party on holding the Children’s Model Summit of the Future, while raising questions about improving the birth registration rate and combating the prevalence of corporal punishment.
Benyam Dawit Mezmur, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Coordinator, said Ghana should be commended for holding the Children’s Model Summit of the Future, in which 82 children participated.
Benoit Van Keirsbilck, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, said progress made in birth registration, with the registration rate increasing to 91 per cent. How would the State reach 100 per cent registration? How was it ensured that children who were not registered in the past could receive their birth certificates, and that there was equity between regions when it came to birth registration? Other Committee Experts asked follow-up questions on steps being taken to register children born at home or out of wedlock.
Aissatou Alassane Sidikou, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, said that in Ghana, there was a general social acceptance of corporal punishment, and despite recommendations from United Nations entities the situation had not changed. Why was this? What measures had been taken to ensure the prohibition of corporal punishment in schools was respected by teachers? Other Experts also asked questions on programmes in place to promote positive parenting.
Introducing the report, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and head of the delegation, said Ghana’s commitment to the Convention was historic and deep-rooted, as it had been the first nation to ratify it in 1990. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection served as the national coordinating body and had operationalised a decentralised child protection and family welfare system reaching all districts, including underserved communities.
The delegation said there had been good collaboration between the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service to address corporal punishment. It was against the law for any child to be treated inhumanely. The State had a strong political commitment to strengthen caregiving and positive parenting, reflected in the revised early child development policy. In 2025, Ghana developed the national parenting strategy, with the aim to end violence against children and women and improve children’s health and wellbeing.
The delegation also said birth registration was free of charge until children turned one, but births could still be registered in the system after that point. The State was working on a community register to ensure every birth and death in the country was registered. This work was supported by community-based volunteers, who provided information to people in formats and language they could understand. Registration offices were located throughout communities in a decentralised system.
In closing remarks, Mr. Mezmur said this was Ghana’s sixth and seventh report, which meant the Committee had delved deeper into the developments on the ground. Many issues had been addressed and the State had provided extensive replies, for which the Committee was very grateful. Ghana was one of the strongest democratic systems in Africa and the Committee believed that the State could make significant progress.
In her closing remarks, Dr. Lartey expressed sincere appreciations for the dialogue and the insightful information shared during the session. Ghana remained steadfast in giving practical meaning to the Convention and recognised both the progress made and the gaps which remained.
The delegation of Ghana consisted of representatives from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection; the Ministry of Justice; the Ministry of Finance; the Parliament of Ghana; and the Permanent Mission of Ghana to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will issue the concluding observations on the report of Ghana at the end of its one hundredth session on 30 January. Those, and other documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, will be available on the session’s webpage. Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, while webcasts of the public meetings can be found here.
The Committee will next meet in public on Thursday January 15 at 3 p.m. to consider the combined sixth and seventh periodic report of Pakistan (CRC/C/PAK/6-7).
Report
The Committee has before it the sixth and seventh combined periodic report of Ghana (CRC/C/GHA/6-7).
Presentation of Report
AGNES NAA MOMO LARTEY, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and head of the delegation, said Ghana’s commitment to the Convention was historic and deep-rooted, as it had been the first nation to ratify it in 1990. The Convention was integral to Ghana’s national development framework, reflected in the 1992 Constitution and in the domestication of the Convention into national laws and programming. The Children’s Act of 1998 remained the foundational legislation for child rights, and key enactments during the reporting period included the Cybersecurity Act, 2020, the Affirmative Action Act, 2024, and the Social Protection Act, 2025, with the Children’s Act and the Juvenile Justice Act in their final stages of amendment. In 2025, Ghana also approved the Revised Early Childhood Care and Development Policy, the National Gender Policy, and the Domestic Violence Policy to strengthen cross-sectoral coordination.
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection served as the national coordinating body and had operationalised a decentralised child protection and family welfare system reaching all districts, including underserved communities. This effort was strengthened through the Integrated Social Services programme, which linked health, child protection, gender-based violence, and social protection services and had expanded from 60 districts in 2020 to 210 of 261 districts currently. Additional measures included a Child Protection in Emergency Working Group and a national contingency plan for crisis response. The Government had also significantly increased budgetary allocations to key child rights institutions, boosting funding for capitation grants, school feeding, the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty programme, and the National Health Insurance Scheme
Ghana had improved birth registration by enacting the Births and Deaths Act, 2020, which guaranteed registration for every child. The use of mobile registration and community population registers helped to increase the proportion of registered births from 58 per cent in 2015 to 91 per cent in 2023. The State had institutionalised child participation through the Children’s Parliament, child rights clubs, and youth-led advocacy groups, ensuring children’s views were heard on issues affecting them.
Addressing violence, abuse, exploitation, and neglect remained a concern, and Ghana had strengthened efforts through awareness programmes and capacity building for law enforcement, withdrawing children from exploitative labour in sectors such as mining and fishing, and linking them to formal education. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, through the Human Trafficking Secretariat, had rescued, sheltered, and reintegrated 3285 children, while 210 cases of human trafficking were successfully prosecuted. Efforts to combat child marriage had resulted in the rate declining from 20.7 per cent in 2014 to 16.1 per cent in 2022. The Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service revised the Staff Code of Conduct in 2017, explicitly prohibiting corporal punishment by teachers. Parallel education programmes targeted religious and traditional leaders and communities to prevent violence in homes and in religious settings.
Children with disabilities received prioritised support, including allocations from the District Assemblies Common Fund, for their educational and health needs. The Persons with Disabilities Act 2007 was under review to ensure better protection of children with disabilities. The first child-friendly court was established in 2018, and as of December 2025, there were 20 such courts nationwide. In partnership with non-governmental organisations, the Government offered recovery and reintegration programmes for child abuse victims.
The Ghana Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition Strategic Plan (2020-2025) had achieved success, including significantly reduced mortality rates. Nutrition efforts strategically targeted the first 1,000 days of life, addressing stunting and wasting through community-based management of acute malnutrition. The Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV programme provided free, comprehensive services based on World Health Organization guidelines. These efforts led to consistent declines institutional maternal mortality, under-five mortality, and under-five malaria case fatality, while stunting, underweight, and wasting were all significantly reduced.
The 2019 education curriculum promoted practical, participatory learning and had been supported by expanded school and library infrastructure, with over 90 per cent of basic schools now having water, sanitation and hygiene facilities. School feeding programme beneficiaries increased from 1.69 million in 2015 to over 4.03 million in 2024, alongside a 33.3 per cent increase in per-child feeding costs from 2025. Enrolment improved across all levels, reaching 83.2 per cent at primary and 59.3 per cent at junior high school, with gender parity achieved at these and senior high school levels in 2024. The Free Senior High School policy had driven enrolment growth and received additional financing in 2025 to address implementation challenges.
In March 2024, Ghana assessed the effects of the environment on child health to inform national strategies. Climate change topics were now integrated into the basic and senior high school curriculum. The Cybersecurity Act, 2020 established a legal framework and mandated the Cyber Security Authority to combat cybercrimes, including child online abuse. Law enforcement received specialised training and the Child Online Protection Division led national initiatives on digital literacy and responsible online behaviour. However, harmful practices like child marriage, teenage pregnancy, and child labour continued to undermine rights realisation in Ghana, necessitating intensified advocacy, enforcement, and community engagement.
Questions by Committee Experts
BENYAM DAWIT MEZMUR, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Coordinator, said the Committee appreciated that the head of the delegation was a Minister. The State party had undertaken several developments in terms of legislation, which was positive. What had been the impacts of implementation of the Witchcraft Act of 2022? What was Ghana doing efficiently and effectively with the resources it had? There appeared to be a legislative gap hindering the efficiency of the Domestic Violence Support Fund; was this the case? There was a lack of an overarching strategy focusing on children, which was of concern to the Committee. Did the State share this concern and how would this be addressed?
The Committee had some concerns around coordination, including on issues such as immunisation financing. How did the State plan to improve on this? What had been the impact of the Child Protection Committee meetings? There were indicators that the economy in Ghana was struggling. Information suggested that areas that were underserved continued to suffer unequal access to resources; how was the State ensuring that equity played a central role in the allocation of resources?
Ghana had made progress on data collection since presenting its report to the Committee in 2015, but there was still room for progress. How was data being updated? How was data being used for planning programmes and allocating resources? Complaints submitted to the body on child rights disputes had reportedly decreased, despite there being multiple child rights violations in the State. What was being done to address these issues? What had been the impact of the Affirmative Action Act in terms of addressing discrimination in the State party? Was it ensured that processes within the Government had included a child-rights impact assessment?
Had the droughts in the northern regions in 2024 resulted in a loss of life? Was the Government addressing the food shortages in a child-focused manner? Ghana should be commended for holding the Children’s Model Summit of the Future, in which 82 children participated. Was this a one-off event or was it being replicated?
BENOIT VAN KEIRSBILCK, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, said it was positive that there had been progress made in birth registration, with the registration rate increasing to 91 per cent. How would the State reach 100 per cent registration? How was it ensured that children who were not registered in the past could receive their birth certificates, and that there was equity between regions when it came to birth registration? Some children in Ghana, including girls and lesbian, gay bisexual, transgender and intersex children, reportedly feared reprisals for expressing their opinion. What happened in Ghanaian society if a child decided to change their religion? It seemed the media were sometimes publishing pictures of children without consent, which was a concern. How did the Right to Information Act, adopted in 2019, take into account the need for children to access information in child-friendly format? The mobile application “You Must Know” provided information on sexual and reproductive rights. How often was this application used and was it child-friendly?
AISSATOU ALASSANE SIDIKOU, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, said in Ghana there was a general social acceptance of corporal punishment, and despite recommendations from United Nations entities the situation had not changed. What were the obstacles in this regard? Why was this phenomenon still socially accepted? What measures had been taken to ensure the prohibition of corporal punishment in schools was respected by teachers? Child marriage predominantly impacted girls, particularly those from poor families. What means had been provided for the implementation of the strategic framework to end child marriage? Were there social protection measures targeting vulnerable families to ensure girls stayed in schools, and educational programmes which empowered girls outside the school system?
The prevalence of pregnancy in adolescents resulting in school dropouts had increased, despite a strategic plan in place to combat this. Had an evaluation of the plan, which ended in 2022, been carried out? What were the main obstacles preventing girls in the country from accessing reproductive health and returning to schools after giving birth? The practice of “trokosi”, where girls from the age of five were forced to work and deprived of education, was a well-anchored tradition in society. What had been done to put an end to this practice?
Despite the progress achieved in combatting female genital mutilation, this practice was widespread and growing in the eastern and western regions of Ghana, as well as in the neighbouring countries. Parents often crossed the border to carry out this practice. What was being done to implement cross-border mechanisms between Ghana and neighbouring countries to put an end to this practice and punish those responsible? Were there mechanisms that included traditional leaders for raising awareness of the impact of female genital mutilation on children? What was being done to adopt a law to criminalise sorcery and to ensure effective social reintegration of victims?
Ghana had created a unit that provided holistic support to victims of domestic violence. However, there were problems regarding the issuance of medical certificates to victims. What was being done to support victims and punish the perpetrators of these crimes? How was it ensured that all people across the country were aware of the helpline to report cases of violence, and that all children in Ghana had access to this helpline?
Was there an active mechanism for follow-up and evaluation of the institutions which dealt with alternative care? What was being done to put an end to extreme violence against children with disabilities and prevent the placement of these children into “prayer camps”? How was it ensured they could live in family environments? Different forms of violence in institutions housing children with disabilities had been identified by domestic oversight committees. Did these committees have the resources to carry out their work and were they still functioning? What impact did their visits have on the lives of children with disabilities? What was being done to prohibit the use of children with disabilities in begging practices?
Responses by the Delegation
AGNES NAA MOMO LARTEY, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and head of the delegation, said the Anti-Witchcraft Bill had gone through parliament, but had not received presidential ascent, meaning it needed to be resubmitted. However, in the meantime, people were able to be prosecuted under the Criminal Code for offences related to witchcraft. It was hoped the Bill would be passed this year.
Regarding the issue of development partners, factors such as the withdrawal of the United States Agency for International Development had impacted Ghana. Where there were gaps in funding, the Government had stepped up funding to close them to the extent possible and continued to collaborate with partners in this regard. Ghana was ensuring adequate funding for the Domestic Violence Fund through partnerships with the private sector, to improve the State’s response to violence and abuse. The early childhood care and development policy had been passed in 2025 following cabinet approval and was currently being implemented. The Affirmative Actions Act had been passed and duly launched, and a committee to oversee its implementation had been established.
The delegation said data was collected on various indicators on children, such as on child mortality, levels of violence against girls, and early marriages. This key data ensured progress was being achieved relating to policy reviews and programming.
The State had not seen any instances of deaths last year due to the droughts in the north. Households had been supported with grants to help them withstand the droughts and buy seeds to continue their livelihood activities.
Immunisations in the country were coordinated by the Ghana Health Service, which assessed the number of children to be immunised and planned the immunisation schedule. Children were vaccinated at health facilities or at various vaccination points in different regions. Immunisation in Ghana was well-coordinated; it was one of the State’s strongest interventions targeting children, resulting in the eradication of diseases such as Guinea worm disease.
Birth registration was free of charge until the child turned one, but births could still be registered in the system after the child turned one. The State was working on a community register to ensure every birth and death in the country was registered. This work was supported by community-based volunteers, who provided information to people in formats and language they could understand.
Ghana allowed children to freely express themselves; it launched the National Student Parliament in 2019. Guidelines had been developed for journalists to prevent online abuse of children. It was ensured that laws concerning children were provided in easy-to-understand formats, including cartoons, which were also popular with adults. The Government visited schools and communities to sensitise children on their rights.
There had been good collaboration between the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service to address corporal punishment. It was against the law for any child to be treated inhumanely. Freedom of children was guaranteed under State law and Ghana’s Constitution. Budget was allocated for assistive devices for persons with disabilities, including children.
Ghana ensured practices such as trokosi and female genital mutilation were minimised or eliminated. The State was keeping a close eye on those crossing the border to ensure that they did not perform female genital mutilation in neighbouring countries. A campaign would be launched at the local level this year to provide direction on action to be taken in cases of abuse.
Several pieces of legislation protected children, including the Criminal Offences Act, which criminalised the defilement and exploitation of children, as well as the strategic plan to end child marriage, among others. Family planning services for adolescents were provided through health facilities, house visits, and community and traditional engagement. A cash grant was provided bi-monthly to rural families to enable their children to attend school.
Ghana had implemented a campaign to prevent abuse against children, utilising television, radio, and social media to educate the population and discourage this phenomenon. Every girl who was pregnant in Ghana was encouraged to return to school and complete their education after their pregnancy. Support was provided to enable these girls to continue their education.
Questions by Committee Experts
BENYAM DAWIT MEZMUR, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Coordinator, said the Committee had noted a significant decline on spending in healthcare and education during the reporting period. What concrete benchmarks had the State set to restore education and health spending to previous levels? Did the State conduct child rights-based sustainability analyses before borrowing or restructuring finances?
BENOIT VAN KEIRSBILCK, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, said the State had been assessing the Child Rights Act for some time; what was preventing it from adopting this Act? What was its content and what issues would it address? Some people were disseminating public images of children who had been arrested. Was this practice forbidden? Who was running the toll-free helpline for reporting child abuse? How many calls were received, and did operators have the means to send cases to appropriate services? Children belonging to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community reportedly faced increased abuse. There was legislation in place that aimed to protect this community’s rights, but it had not been well-enforced. Could the State explain this? Why were cases of child marriage still increasing despite work being done to address this issue?
AISSATOU ALASSANE SIDIKOU, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, said she had not received answers to several questions, including on the campaign against child abuse; respect for existing legislation relating to alternative care; and measures to protect children with disabilities.
Other Committee Experts asked follow-up questions related to the implementation of the Committee’s concluding observations; whether the population was aware of laws banning sorcery and trokosi; current birth registration data; how the increase in birth registration had been achieved; if there were public awareness campaigns on the importance of birth certificates; further information on vaccination campaigns; monitoring of polio; if children had been removed from convents pertaining to the Trokosi system; prosecutions relating to child marriage; if child marriage was completely outlawed; and whether 18 was the minimum age for marriage.
Experts also asked about whether children received sexual and reproductive education in schools; if corporal punishment was completely banned in society; the existence of alternative measures for care, including a foster family care system; efforts to improve digital literacy, particularly in rural areas; capacity building for teachers in digital literacy; how many cases of the trokosi practice had been uncovered, despite its abolishment in 1998, and how many priests had been prosecuted for trokosi-related crimes; services available for child victims of crime to prevent their revictimisation; and programmes in place to promote positive parenting and protect the rights of the child within the family.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said direct information was provided to children, parents and community leaders on how to protect children, including tools to prevent child marriage, corporal punishment, human trafficking and child labour, among others. These tools were available to all Government partners, including non-governmental organisations, who used these tools to educate community members. Some 1.2 million people nationwide had been educated using these tools.
Services were available to assist children who were victims of crime. If there was a child trafficking issue, children from Ghana would be traced back to their families and sent back if it was safe, otherwise they would be put into the foster care system. Victims from outside Ghana were mostly from Nigeria and would be traced and returned to their families. Ghana had a cyber security forensic lab within its police service, which worked with Interpol on international cases.
There had been significant work by the Government to ensure children were digitally literate. Solar powered computers and laptops had been provided to help children in rural communities. Ghana was focused on family-based care and provided support for children to stay with their families. Every region in Ghana now had a foster care committee, which trained foster carers nationwide.
Ghana operated a decentralised system, where resources were distributed to districts and regions based on their specific needs. This system ensured that regions’ needs were prioritised and attended to.
There had been no reported cases of trokosi since the last reporting period, but the Government believed this practice was going on underground.
Families often delayed registering their child as they had not named them. Advocacy was ongoing in this regard, and Ghana expected to reach a 100 per cent registration rate soon.
The public were frequently educated on the toll-free numbers available in Ghana and how to use them. Thanks to this, people called in frequently to report cases of child marriage. An integrated social services software was also available to report cases. Ghana was making big strides in this area. The State had a surveillance system in place to monitor cases of communicable diseases.
The reason for the delay in the adoption of the Child Rights Act was because the State aimed to ensure that all related issues were covered by the Act. The State party was engaged in a comprehensive review of the new law, which was why it was taking some time.
Questions by Committee Experts
BENYAM DAWIT MEZMUR, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Coordinator, on behalf of FAITH MARSHAL HARRIS, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, said Ghana faced several climate change related challenges. There were concerns that the national climate change policy did not adequately deal with climate change as a driver of exploitation and labour. Was the State addressing this? Last year, Ghana launched a roadmap for implementing early warning systems for natural disasters, which was commendable. How did it take children’s rights and needs into account?
Reports showed that hidden costs prevented children from poor backgrounds from attending school; could the delegation comment on this? Ghana had a coalition of teachers who had not been paid their salaries, which had implications on the rollout of education. How were unpaid teachers’ salaries affecting education in Ghana, and how did the Government plan to address this complex issue? In some schools, there was a lack of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, and in some cases, local communities were competing with schoolchildren for use of these facilities. How was the State overcoming this issue? Ghana should be commended for the re-entry into force of the school policy for teenage mothers. Was this being applied in all schools? There were some concerns around the privatisation of education. How were private schools regulated? How was it ensured that the private schools did not compete against public schools for land and resources?
The Committee commended Ghana for its school feeding scheme, however the investment per child in the scheme was very low. What was the implication of this on the scheme’s rollout? What efforts had been made by the State to ensure girls did not fall through the cracks when it came to education?
BENOIT VAN KEIRSBILCK, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, said the national health insurance scheme provided free access to healthcare for children under the age of 18. How did children access this service? Were all parents aware of how to register their children for this service? Did it cover all health needs? How many hospitals had the State built? The levels of infant and neonatal mortality were very high, particularly in rural areas. How was the State combating these challenges? How accessible were mental health services for children? Were there mental health services designed specifically for children? Were autistic children still being sent to camps to be exorcised of their condition? What was the State doing to address this issue?
How accessible was abortion for girls? Were there programmes in place to combat substance abuse that focused on social change rather than taking a medical approach? How were children with HIV supported to avoid school dropouts? Were there any regulations concerning surgical interventions on intersex children? Was there a system to automatically provide support to children in poverty? Poverty levels remained high despite State programmes. How was the State combatting this issue?
Ghana was facing an influx of asylum seekers and refugees and the Committee had been informed of refoulement policies in some cases. What kind of support was the State providing to asylum-seeking children, particularly those isolated from their parents? What legal framework was in place to protect unaccompanied asylum-seeking children? The report mentioned that many children below the age of 15 were working, sometimes in appalling conditions. What plans were in place to stop this? Did the Child Labour Act include a list of hazardous activities? What was being done to combat child labour in the mining sector? What awareness raising was being done around child trafficking? Had an evaluation of plans and policies been conducted? Were there shelters and protection facilities for these children?
Ghana had begun to develop child-friendly courts which were operational in two regions. Were there any plans to expand these facilities? How did the child justice system provide remedies to children whose rights had not been fully respected? How many children were deprived of liberty in Ghana? How often did the State use non-judicial measures when it came to children? Were there any plans to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 14 years? What training related to children did professionals in the justice system receive?
Another Committee Expert asked if civil society was active in Ghana. Were services provided to victims by civil society and was this permitted under State legislation? Were civil society organisations provided with Government support? Were there programmes for the reintegration of children into society following incarceration?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said civil society organisations in Ghana played a critical role in national development, engaging with the Government to ensure the voices of the people could be heard. The President had created platforms to engage these organisations on topics such as health and education, and they were also involved in the formulation of laws and policies within the parliament.
Ghana did not take appearing before the Committee for granted and took careful consideration of the Committee’s questions and comments. The report was drafted through a collaborative and extensive process, in which all parts of society could be involved.
The Social Protection Bill was passed into law last year, and the subsequent Social Protection Act was now operational. This was a framework for coordinating social protection systems and garnering support for the poor in Ghana. Ghana had shelter for abused and trafficked persons, as well as a “one-stop” centre which was child friendly. The State collaborated with civil society organisations in providing shelter for victims of abuse. However, State shelters were inadequate for the growing needs of the people in Ghana. A contract had been signed to provide 16 additional shelters across the country, which would house abused children, trafficked persons and other vulnerable groups. Ghana had opened its first child-friendly court in 2018, and 20 such courts had been built across the country as of 2025.
There were processes for registering the poor in Ghana, including children, under the national health insurance scheme. People could visit dedicated offices or outlets to register, through providing their basic information, including their Ghana card. There was a token fee, however children the age of 18 did not have to pay. The card had to be renewed each year, but many groups, including children, pregnant women and others, were exempt from paying the renewal fee.
Ghana was tackling infant mortality in a holistic manner and had made progress over the years, drastically reducing the rate of infant mortality in the country. The State had mental health hospitals, primarily in Accra, as well as mental health outlets across the country. Trained officers within communities were ale to help children and adults with mental issues.
In Ghana, abortion was permitted under certain conditions, including if there was a risk to the woman’s life, foetal abnormalities, or pregnancy due to rape or incest. A licensed doctor was required to perform the procedure.
Over the years, Ghana had managed to overcome stigma towards people with HIV/AIDS, using the media and advocacy from religious leaders. This stigma had now drastically reduced; previously people believed that just by sitting with someone with HIV/AIDS it could be contracted, but the public was now aware this was not the case. Pregnant women with HIV/AIDS were provided with medication to ensure they did not transmit it to their child.
A single national household register existed which made it easy for the Government to target the poor. Those who fell under the category of “extreme poor” would then be targeted with assistive measures. The World Bank assisted Ghana with validating the data before it was put into the registry.
Ghana’s national climate policy was responsive to climate-induced shocks. While there was no specific focus on children in the policy, there was a focus on vulnerable groups, which included children. A national early warning response strategy was in place. Text messages with advice were sent to the population in the event of extreme weather events, and social media was also used issue warnings.
The school feeding programme was being implemented to support children from vulnerable communities, and another programme had been implemented to allow children living far from school to use bicycles to reach their schools, promoting engagement with the schools and the community. There was consistent engagement on how to share water, sanitation and hygiene facilities at schools with communities, and an agreement had been reached which stated that members of the community could only use these facilities outside of school hours. The national inspectorate regularly monitored private schools to ensure they complied with the required standard. Ghana used local food in the school-feeding programme to ensure the food was fresh, and undertook other measures to ensure children were receiving nutritious food.
Girls’ education had achieved significant progress. Girls were leading, even at the tertiary levels; they had been the best performers at law and medical schools. The State continued to raise awareness within the community to reduce the barriers girls faced in receiving education. Over the past five years, mental health services had been restructured in Ghana, with a focus on deinstitutionalisation and family-based treatment.
The Refugee Law of 1992 was the main law governing asylum. Those entering Ghana wishing to seek asylum needed to do so within two weeks of entering the country. Children who entered Ghana were treated as children of Ghana and provided with a free education and other social services. It was mandated that legal aid was provided to all such children, including asylum seekers.
The Children’s Act had been amended in 2023 to include a full list of hazardous activities which children were prohibited from being involved in. This was accompanied by a monitoring system, which would transmit information to the labour department.
Child panels were now only established for juvenile courts. In many instances, cases were diverted to probation officers to prevent children from having to participate in lengthy court hearings.
Ghana had many plans to prevent and respond to substance abuse, including the “Ghana Against Drugs” campaigns, to highlight the dangers of substance abuse and promote a life free of such abuse. The State aimed to eliminate the worst forms of child labour and observed a national day in this regard. The minimum age of criminal responsibly was currently 12 years, and there were no current Government plans to increase the age.
The State had a strong political commitment to strengthen caregiving and positive parenting, reflected in the revised early child development policy. Ghana had affirmed positive parenting as a national priority during the Bogota Conference and was working towards this goal. In 2025, Ghana developed the national parenting strategy, with the aim to end violence against children and women and improve children’s health and wellbeing. Civil society organisations, the private sector and other stakeholders had come together to ensure the implementation of this strategy across the country. Under the strategy, a campaign had been developed to help parents change their behaviour towards their children and learn how to correct them positively when they misbehaved.
The school feeding programme had been introduced to combat hunger in school, while the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty programme had been created to reduce household poverty and enable children to attend school. Last year, the Government introduced a free sanitary pad programme, after it was identified that girls had missed school during menstruation due to a lack of sanitary pads.
Ghana did not have a policy on intersex surgery, but all surgery procedures on children required consent from the parents.
Any girl who fell pregnant during schooling was permitted to return to school. There were focal points for girls in each school, who visited those who had fallen pregnant after birth to determine when they would be ready to return to school. Girls could also have their classwork sent to them during and after pregnancy. If girls feared stigma from their school, they could transfer to another school of their choice.
The Narcotics Control Board had been transformed into a commission and was establishing offices in all 261 districts of Ghana to bring services to all people, particularly the youth.
Questions by Committee Experts
BENYAM DAWIT MEZMUR, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Coordinator, said the lack of inclusion of children with disabilities in Ghana’s education system was a persistent concern. This was something which the State should investigate. Were there aspects of the Domestic Violence Act which the State believed should be amended to make it even more fit for purpose?
BENOIT VAN KEIRSBILCK, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, said it was clear from the discussion that the State was lacking clear, accurate data. Much of the data provided in the report was outdated. The bicycle programme was very interesting. How was it ensured that all the children who required assistance were able to benefit from these programmes? It was positive news that education was compulsory, including secondary school education, and this should be commended. However, it was important to ensure budget was available in this regard. Access to water was a crucial issue; figures showed that 12 per cent of children needed to walk for 30 minutes to find clean water, which was unacceptable. Disparities between the regions were very high; how was the State addressing this? How were negotiations been conducted with the International Monetary Fund to ensure debt reimbursement did not result in more difficulties for children? How did the State fight against corruption? What was the status of the Human Rights and Family Sexual Violence Bill?
AISSATOU ALASSANE SIDIKOU, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, asked if there were sufficient resources in the fund to support victims of domestic violence.
Other Committee Experts asked follow up questions relating to birth registration and what was being done for children born in far flung regions, at home, or out of wedlock; how to ensure people could pick up physical birth registration papers; concrete measures to address poverty and exploitation which drove children to street situations; how to ensure street children of foreign nationalities were identified as victims and protected; steps to guarantee free and accessible birth registration for all children; how to ensure reliable data collection on children in street situations; and plans to increase the accessibility of “one-stop” centres for all children who were victims of violence in Ghana.
Experts also asked questions regarding if children with disabilities and their families still experienced severe isolation and stigmatisation due to witchcraft beliefs, and how the Government was addressing this; how the Government was preventing boys from falling between the cracks in the education system; why Ghana was not planning to raise the minimum age of criminality to 14; how to increase digital literacy among children, parents and teachers; children’s access to recreation; if migrant children were deprived of liberty when they arrived irregularly in Ghana; what was being done to combat the rise of HIV among the teenage population; exactly how the State was working towards positive parenting; and what was being done to tackle the issue of obstetric fistular.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the State was prioritising making health care accessible with the available resources. The domestic violence fund was unfortunately inadequate. The Ministry of Finance had been tasked with identifying how to close the funding gap. This had forced Ghana to be innovative and creative when it came to funding. With the little money which came in, the State was able to support victims and provide them with health care and social reintegration.
Ghana had a traditional way of naming children which had nothing to do with trokosi or the practice of any inhumane treatment. There was no record that trokosi was occurring in Ghana, and the State was currently not attending to it. It had been a huge issue in the past, and now most of the girls had been brought out of the shrines and reintegrated into society. Ghana was still monitoring this practice to ensure it did not occur.
Work had been done with traditional birth attendants to educate them on current practices, including birth registration. Therefore, even if a child was born at home, they would be sent to a health facility where registration could occur. Registration offices were located throughout communities in a decentralised system, which enabled parents all over the country to be able to register their children’s births. The State had a way to go before achieving 100 per cent birth registration; it was currently at around 70 per cent.
The measure put in place to promote sending the girl child to school was intended to act as a corrective measure. The State was now aiming to focus on issues around the boy child and promote positive masculinity. The shelters being built by the State were intended to house and assist victims of violence and trafficking; there were no plans to keep children there permanently.
Ghana was making efforts to ensure full birth registration coverage. The mobile registration exercise was achieving good results, and it was hoped this would improve numbers and close the gap.
The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty programme covered 1.4 million people, and more than 550,000 households. The school feeling programme covered more than four million people from kindergarten age to primary school.
Pregnant women were screened for HIV/AIDS and treatment centres provided treatment for those who needed it. The State was conducting many activities in this regard and expected to bring down the prevalence rate soon.
The new water strategy aimed to ensure access to clean water, with tablets being used to make unsafe water safe to drink. Programmes supporting street children were decentralised. With support from non-governmental organisations, more than 200 social workers had been trained to support the parents of children with disabilities. Many children had achieved greater independence because of this programme and were now able to attend school. The State continued to improve the capacity of teachers to deal with students with disabilities.
Ghana was reviewing the juvenile justice act of 2003, and during the review many departments determined that 12 as the minimum age of criminal responsibility should remain in place. This ensured that correctional support could be provided to children who needed it from a younger age, meaning they had a better chance of being rehabilitated.
Training and advocacy were being conducted at the community level to ensure positive relationships between parents and children. Social workers were trained to assist children who were visually impaired, and support groups had been created to support children with disabilities in attending schools. There were plans to build more one-stop centres across all the regions in Ghana.
Ghana had a programme where fistulas were repaired, and a specific team had been established in hospitals to this end. These repairs were carried out free of charge.
Closing Statements
BENYAM DAWIT MEZMUR, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Coordinator, said this was Ghana’s sixth and seventh report, which meant the Committee had delved deeper into the developments on the ground. Many issues had been addressed and the State had provided extensive replies, for which the Committee was very grateful. Work still needed to be done in terms of legislative efforts, including the Domestic Violence Act, and for civil society organisations. There needed to be a sense of urgency around issues such as child marriage and birth registration; the Committee believed that with work, the State could achieve significant milestones in these areas. The concluding observations would emphasise areas in which the Committee wished to see progress. Ghana was one of the strongest democratic systems in Africa and the Committee believed that the State could make significant progress.
AGNES NAA MOMO LARTEY, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and head of the delegation, expressed sincere appreciations for the dialogue and the insightful information shared during the session. Ghana remained steadfast in giving practical meaning to the Convention and recognised both the progress made and the gaps which remained. The Committee’s recommendations would be viewed as guidelines to strengthen State policies and systems. The Government was committed to translating these commitments into measurable actions and improved outcomes for children.
SOPHIE KILADZE, Committee Chair, congratulated the State party for all their work done to protect children and the rights enshrined in the Convention. It was important that the State openly addressed the challenges it faced and recognised areas for improvement. The high-level delegation of Ghana was appreciated. Ms. Kiladze said she was hopeful that the constructive dialogue over the past two days would provide a strong basis for the State to do more for children. She imparted her warmest regards to all the children in Ghana.
___________
Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media;
not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.
CRC25.003E