The Government has called for an immediate halt to the use of children in 'exploitative' advertisements. Deputy Information Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has told Joy News the government believes the practice infringes on the rights of children. He said the government was conscious of the need to protect minors and make sure that their innocence is not exploited. Mr Ablakwa believes some of the commercials in which children feature clearly indicate a strong possibility of the children being exploited, more so when the contents are unrelated to children. He said it was not the government’s intention to take a high-handed action against advertisers in the country but stressed the issue needs to be thoroughly discussed, especially as they relate to the UN convention on the right of the child. Responding to the concerns of the minister, the Executive Secretary of the Advertising Association of Ghana, Francis Dadzie said the association was prepared to co-operate with the government in any effort designed to rid advertising of any abuses of children. He however doubted if there were any cases where the rights and interest of children were being undermined. “World-wide children are used for advertising purposes because of certain unique position or benefits they bring to the communication medium and we have standards which guide us as to how to use the children to ensure that we don’t exploit them so if there are any specific instances that they may have noticed, am sure that we will be able to engage in a dialogue so that we can address those concerns appropriately. But I don’t think that there is a general belief that children used in commercials are exploited,” he stated. Source: Joy News/Ghana