The Executive Director of Child Rights International, Bright Appiah, has urged traditional authorities to promote cultural practices that benefit children's development.

Mr Appiah appealed the commemoration of this year’s International Day of Families in Accra on Wednesday.

The Global theme for the Day was, "Families and Climate Change." Ghana adopted the theme “Child Protection and Climate Change.”

“No matter how we want to advance our cultural practices, we must be able to emphasise the positive cultural practices that will enhance the development of children. Once we do that, children will also carry out tradition to the level that we expect it to be, and they will live it in a manner that we want them to,” he said.

Mr Appiah noted that the family structure was the only option for children to grow up in a secure and safe environment.

“Where the family system to grow is nonexistence, they find it very difficult to defend themselves... however when it is good, and they can have interactions with their parents, they are bold enough to speak on issues that affect them, and they do things in a manner that suggests that the family is the strong bond they need to survive,” he said.

Mr Appiah argued that fighting for children's rights inside the family system necessitated an understanding that families exist in communities and that there was a close relationship between societies and the cultural practices within them.

He said children's development was influenced by their surroundings and the values of their traditional area or locality.

Mr Appiah noted that in a sound and supportive environment, children become academically good, morally fit, and behave well in society, contributing to the development of all.

“However, it is also important for us to recognize that there are certain cultural practices that affect our children’s development, and we must balance them to ensure that the positive cultural practices are handed over to them, so they can live it and do it in a manner that will also make society grow.”

Mr Appiah said that abuse against children, particularly girls, was lately happening within the family unit.

“From January till now we have seen about 111 cases of sexual abuse, and out of that 76 per cent of it are sexual abuse cases that emanate from the family system. It's either an uncle or biological parents of these children abusing them.”

In most of those cases, the families prefer to protect the integrity of the family and end up settling such criminal matters at home.

However, Mr. Appiah stated that such issues were not for the family to resolve, but rather for the appropriate institutions to address so that "we can build the trust we need in our children."

“In as much as acknowledgement is given to the importance of the family, the family must also be strong enough to avoid things of this nature so that the family system would not become an inconducive environment for children.

“The family is important, and the family holds a trust to uphold, and we must do well to build a strong system for our children to have that trust, and if that is established, there will be very little for us to do or say about what we must do to protect our children...Let them not have mistrust in the family system,” he said.

Mr Appiah commended the Department of Social Welfare's efforts around the country and urged the government to provide them with the required support and ensure their safety at the local, regional, and national levels.

This would allow the department to explore issues coming from the family system, giving children a greater sense of trust in their development.

The United Nations established the 'International Day of Families' in 1993 as a day to raise awareness of family issues and better understanding of the social, economic, and demographic factors that impact families.

The 2024 celebration aims to raise awareness about how climate change affects families and the role they can play in climate action.