_{Mr Edward Laabiir Sabo, the Wa West District Chief Executive (DCE), has commended the Community Child Protection Teams (CCPTs) for their efforts to flush out the negative sociocultural practices against the girl-child in the District}.

He was particularly happy with efforts by the CCPTs to come up with child protection by-laws for gazetting to give impetus to their work, which is to protect and guide girls and young women to pursue their dreams to the fullest.

Mr Sabo gave the commendation in a statement made on his behalf by Mr Martin K. Berisie, an Assistant Director, during a learning event in Wechiau in the Wa West District of the Upper West Region.

The CCPTs were formed by the Social Initiative for Literacy and Development Programme (SILDEP) and Plan International Ghana across the Sissala East Municipal, Sissala West and Wa West districts as part of the implementation of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ sponsored Girls Advocacy Alliance Project in the Region.

The DCE commended SILDEP for empowering members of the Teams to sensitise their various communities against the spread of the COVID-19, of which the Assembly was highly appreciative.

While pledging the Assembly’s willingness to help gazette the by-laws when completed, Mr Sabo called for the need to scale up the concept to every community as it would help push the development of the girl-child and ensure project sustainability.

Mr Moses Dramani Luri, the Executive Director of SILDEP, explained that the learning event was to create the platform for CCPTs to share and learn from each other some best practices as they implement the project around the four thematic areas.

These are Child Marriage; Child Abuse and Gender-Based Violence; Commercial Sexual Exploitation; and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Employment.

He said the community by-laws were to provide a legal framework to back the operations of the CCPTs as they strived to protect the welfare of the girl-child and ensure project sustainability.

Mr Vitus Sey Pele, the Wa West District Social Welfare Officer, said the presence of the CCPTs was changing the child protection narrative in the District with respect of reporting cases to his outfit.

He pledged to work more collaboratively with the Teams to curb child marriage, teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence.