We need to uphold family unity

The acting Director of the Department of Children of the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC), Mr Peter F. K. Eduful, has urged pastors and traditional leaders to sensitise their members to the importance of family unity.
He said there was the need to give the extended family the needed attention in order to curb problems such as child labour, child prostitution, streetism and teenage pregnancies, adding that too much focus on the nuclear family had resulted in the disintegration of most extended families which was a threat to the country’s development .
This was contained in a speech read on his behalf at the 2009 International Day of the Family at the Vilac International School in Accra at the weekend.
The theme for the occasion was “Every member of the family makes a difference”.
Mr Eduful said since fathers played major roles in the family such as making of decisions, it was also their responsibility to ensure the provision of basic necessities such as food, clothing and shelter.
He said the occasion provided the ministry the opportunity to increase public awareness and knowledge on economic, social and demographic processes affecting the family by focusing attention on the rights and responsibilities of all family members.
He said it again provided a suitable platform for increased awareness of family issues, government and the private sector as well as strengthening the capacity of national institutions to formulate, implement and monitor policies in respect of the family.
He said the family was the basic unit of the society that maintained the society through procreation, love and security.
He explained that families were very important in the life of all human beings since it was the first agent of socialisation of every child.
Mr Eduful pointed out that every member of the family had a specific and significant role to play, all of which added up to the development of the family, community and country at large.
He pointed out that it was about time Ghanaians responded to problems affecting the family, particularly the less privileged ones.
He said the only solution to family problems was for Ghanaians to review and assess the situation and needs of the family by enhancing the effectiveness of local, national and regional efforts to carry out specific programmes concerning families.
The Principal of the School, Mr Benedict Yartey, said the occasion was to emphasise the importance of a healthy family as far as child education was concerned.
He observed that for a child to perform excellently in school it was important for both parents to perform their duties responsibly.
He said responsible parents were a source of motivation for children who saw their parents as role models.
He therefore called on all parents and guardians to ensure that they provided their children with the needed care and support.
The United Nations (UN) designated 1993 as the International Year of the Family to develop and nurture the inherent capacities of families.
To emphasise the importance the international community attaches to the family, the celebration became an annual affair christened the International Day of the Family, which has become an important annual celebration of UN member states.
In 2001, a UN General Assembly Resolution urged all member states to design programmes and activities to mark the International Day of the Family.
The occasion draws attention to problem areas of the family, increasing cooporation at all levels on pertinent issues that affect the family, and takes practicable actions to strengthen the family to enable it to continue to play its role in development.