Mrs. Faustina Yorke Awortwe, the Western Regional Director for the Department of Children, has called for the rights of children to be acknowledged and observed in a manner that would equip them to grow and develop their abilities. 'Children all over the world are entitled to certain rights and privileges for their development, these rights are what protected the lives of children and Ghana is no exception,' she added. Mrs. Awortwe said the rights of children were as paramount to that of every adult living in various communities in Ghana, 'therefore the rights of children are not to be under-estimated.' She said special attention to the opinions of children in homes, schools and local communities and even in government, children's voice must be heard to enhance their rights to freedom of expression. The Western Regional Director told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that communities must now focus on advancing children's rights, adding that Children's rights were responsibilities and necessities of l ife which parents and caregivers must provide to ensure the proper development of the children. This year's World Children's Day is under the theme:'For every child, every right.' Mrs. Awortwe said since the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was approved, millions of children's lives had been transformed and improved through the enactment of Acts, including, the Children's Act (Act 560), the Juvenile Justice Act (Act 563), the Domestic Violence Act (Act 752) among other Acts that protected the life of children. According to the CRC, children are entitled to rights such as the right to life, education, name and nationality, health, shelter among many others which must be duly acknowledged. 'Therefore, it is imperative for children to get the nurture and guidance needed to grow independently from adults devoid of acts that threatened their rights and freedom to dignity, expression of thoughts and conscience which affected their development.' The Director noted that the 2021 Population and Housing Census, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) said 1,215,546 children of school-going age in Ghana were not attending school while, teenage pregnancies continued to surge among the girl-child. She said factors such as poverty, inequality, social norms, cultural and traditional practices as well as early pregnancies among girls had hindered achievement of girls' potentials in many communities. The Director entreated everyone to keep the flames of equity, equality, opportunity, and best interest of children burning in them to enable the Ghanaian child to realize the best of life. Source: Ghana News Agency