The Upper East Regional Minister, Mark Wayongo has issued a directive imposing an indefinite ban on under aged children travelling down south without being accompanied. The decision was taken in consultation with the Upper East Regional Security Council and the Ghana Private Road Transport Union. The decision according to the Regional Minister is to bring an end to the increasing luring of innocent children in the region to Accra and other coastal towns for non-existent jobs. Mr. Wayongo told Joy News certain people benefit financially from the exploitation of these innocent children and hopes the new policy will avert the tide. Under the new policy, parents or guardians with children under the age of 16 must seek clearance from the authorities before they will be allowed to travel outside the region. But the policy appears to have generated mixed reactions from human rights activists. Head of Legal Resources, Edward Amuzu said the directive is “potentially problematic.” Whilst he agrees that the decision may be well intentioned, he said it does not fall within the ambit of the laws of Ghana. But Dr. Sulley Gariba head of the Institute for Policy Alternatives, Ghana, believes the directive will serve as deterrence to the perpetrators of those crimes. He said it is common place for under aged children to be lined up by some unknown individuals in the region and transported to south only to be exploited. He expects, with such a policy in place, the practice will be ameliorated. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana