The Country Director of International Justice Mission (IJM), Anita Budu, has called on the government to prioritise financing for child protection as a strategic investment in Ghana’s development.

She said adequate and protected funding was necessary to enable institutions responsible for protecting vulnerable children to effectively carry out their mandates.

Speaking on the theme "Beyond Policy: Financing Child Protection to Secure Every Child’s Future” at the Mensvic Hotel, on September 17, Anita Budu cited UNICEF research which showed that Ghana’s core child protection spending in 2024 was equivalent to approximately GH¢7 per child per year.

She said the figure was based on the budget of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, excluding the social protection component.

According to her, the low level of investment in child protection was particularly concerning when compared with the economic cost of child abuse in Ghana.

She noted that previous UNICEF reports had estimated the annual economic cost of child abuse in Ghana at between US$223 million and US$347 million.

She called on the government to consider a number of short- to long-term measures to strengthen child protection financing.

“We urge governments to prioritise child protection financing as a strategic investment in Ghana's development,” she said.

She said this should include increased and protected allocations for institutions with critical child protection responsibilities.

These, she listed, include the Department of Social Welfare, the Labour Department, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the Human Trafficking Secretariat, and the Human Trafficking Fund.

Ms Budu stressed that institutions mandated to protect children could only effectively perform their duties if they were adequately resourced.

“If we truly intend to protect vulnerable children, the institutions entrusted with these responsibilities must have the resources to do so effectively,” she said.

She therefore urged the government to ensure that funding for child protection was not only increased but also protected to enable the relevant institutions to sustain interventions aimed at safeguarding vulnerable children.

The IJM Country Director said sustained investment in child protection was essential to securing the future of children and addressing the wider social and economic consequences associated with child abuse.