As Ghana’s political atmosphere heats up with the onset of the campaign season, a concerning trend emerges – the exploitation of children in political campaigns. From bustling rallies to other vibrant events, children are increasingly being used as pawns to further political agendas.
In this political fervour, it is easy to overlook the detrimental effects this exploitation has on the nation’s youngest citizens. Often unaware of the implications, children find themselves in the thick of things, waving flags and chanting slogans without fully understanding the gravity of their actions.
This exploitation not only undermines the rights and dignity of these children but also casts a shadow on Ghana’s democratic principles. As a nation striving for progress and inclusivity, the use of children in political campaigns contradicts the values Ghana holds dear.
In an interview with RGG News, the Executive Director of Child Online Africa, Awo Aidam Amenyah, said political parties and politicians often feature children as props to garner sympathy or influence emotions.
“These politicians use and involve minors in campaign adverts just to gather sympathy and manipulate emotions – it is a sad situation because these children may not have the understanding of what they are engaged in”, she said.
Many political actors have also argued that children are used for campaign adverts because of the parties’ policies on children hence the decision to feature them [Children] in political campaigns and adverts.
However, Awo Aidam Amenyah mentioned that the law says children must be protected, so it is a violation of the children’s right if a political or a government institutes a policy for children and because of that policy, it uses children for adverts in the media.
For her part, she says if a political party or a government designs a policy for children or minors and because of that policy they feel they should use children for adverts in the media, then the children must be allowed to vote.
“That argument cannot be made because our constitution does not allow children to vote – children for political adverts are totally wrong because they cannot vote so we can’t use them for any political activities”, she said.
As the campaign season unfolds, let us not forget the voices of the most vulnerable among us. The future of Ghana’s democracy depends on our collective commitment to protect and uphold the rights of all its citizens, regardless of age or status.
