Author: Beyonce Diamond Kpogli
Missing Children Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) committed to locating and reuniting missing persons with their families has been officially outdoored in Accra.
The launch was also to commemorate the annual celebration of International Missing Children Day which falls on 25th May every year.
International Missing Children Day is a day dedicated to raising awareness about missing children and the importance of our precious and vulnerable young ones.
Since the premiere of the missing children documentary on 22nd May 2021 on Atinka TV, the organization has received over 600 missing persons cases, with 80 percent of these cases being children.
Regina Asamoah, the Founder of Missing Children Ghana said, the organization, over the two years of existence, has reunited 200 children and adults with their families.
“Missing Children Ghana will serve as the first public benefit of a Non-Governmental Organization that will focus on finding and reuniting missing children in Ghana.
Again, it will continue to work with the Ghana Police Service and the Department of Social Welfare to provide education and support to families affected as well as to work to prevent far as abduction,” she stressed.
She noted that it was crucial to annually mark this day as a country for the successful reunion of 200 cases of the foundation and the uncountable work done by the Department of Social Welfare and the missing persons unit of the Ghana Police Service.
This, she said, will continue to deepen the efforts of finding missing children in Ghana and help policies directorate and respond to the issue of missing children in the country.
Missing Children Ghana has demonstrated its willingness to partner all stakeholders to celebrate yearly whilst learning from other countries what they are doing to combat this societal menace.
On her part, the Deputy Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Hon Francisca Oteng Mensah lamented that missing children has become a major concern to the country.
“However, the government of Ghana has shown commitment and efforts to fight this menace by taking action and implementing measures to prevent and respond to cases of missing children,” the Minister stated.
She was also alarmed by the increasing number of missing children.
“According to a report, thousands of children go missing across the world every year and it is important to recognize that these children are not numbers on a chart but vulnerable human beings and loved ones that families are missing and yielding to see,” she revealed.
She added that a report from the police recently indicated that Ghana has reported increasing cases of missing children over the years.
“In 2022, the Department of social welfare during its case management services provided care and protection to 712 children comprising 427 females and 285 males who were reported missing”.
Hon. Francisca noted that the department has been able to reunite missing children with their families and others are in residential homes.
She further stated that the government has partnered with the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and now Missing Children Ghana to increase awareness of the issue and strengthen the capacity of agencies involved in the search and rescue of missing children.
She commended the organization’s noble course in bringing attention to the issue that seems to be neglected in society.
She urged all to be alert of any sign of abduction, exploitation, or trafficking.
On their part, some lost victims and their families who were in attendance, lauded Madam Regina Asamoah and her team for her enthusiasm in helping to trace and locate their missing children.
