Gbrimani in the Tolon district of the Northern Region, has adopted community by-laws aimed at preventing child abuse and exploitation, setting out how residents should report suspected violations and seek help from the appropriate authorities.

The move makes Gbrimani the sixth community to adopt child safeguarding by-laws under the second phase of a project led by the Centre for Development and Policy Advocacy (CEDEPA), according to its project lead, Alhassan Ziblim.

Adopted at a town hall meeting the measures place accountability at the centre of a community-led effort to protect children, including those livingon the streets and other vulnerable circumstances.

CEDEPA facilitated the adoption in collaboration with the Gbrimani Child Protection Committee (CPC). Project focal persons from the National Commission for Civic Education and the Department of Social Welfare guided residents through the process.

Traditional and religious leaders joined parents, guardians, teachers and other community members at the meeting. Representatives of child protection committees from other participating communities also attended.

Mr Ziblim said the by-laws outlined children’s fundamental rights, prohibited harmful practices and established procedures for reporting, handling and referring child protection cases to the relevant authorities.

The aim, he explained, was to build a culture in which residents recognised children’s rights, challenged harmful practices and reported suspected abuse rather than leaving child protection solely to formal institutions.

The measures are also intended to strengthen local systems for identifying children at risk and connecting them with appropriate support.

Representing the Chief of Gbrimani, Mr Fuseini Nabila pledged to establish a community-based taskforce working through the CPC to explain the by-laws and promote compliance.

He said the taskforce would support public education, help residents understand their responsibilities and encourage the reporting of suspected abuse and exploitation.

The pledge sets out a proposed next step for the community, although the taskforce has yet to be established.

Mr Ziblim cautioned that adopting the by-laws alone would not ensure lasting protection. Their effectiveness, he said, would depend on continued public education, coordination between community structures and relevant authorities, and residents’ commitment to putting the measures into practice.

The initiative forms part of the second phase of the Promoting Child Rights and Equal Opportunities for Children in Street and Other Vulnerable Situations Project.

CEDEPA is implementing the project in partnership with Safe Child Advocacy, with funding support from Misereor, Wilde Ganzen and Adamfo Ghana.

The five other communities that have adopted child protection by-laws under this phase are

- Zangbalun and Kpilo in the Kumbungu District.
- Kotingli and Bagliga in the Tamale South Sub-Metropolitan Area.
- Yipelgu in the Tolon District.

Gbrimani opinion leader Mr Yahaya Abdul Rahman said the adoption across the six communities represented an important step towards strengthening local child protection structures and improving cooperation with institutions responsible for responding to violations.

For Gbrimani, the next test is implementation, ensuring residents understand the rules, suspected cases reach the appropriate authorities and children who need protection receive support.