Daily Graphic, Monday, October 22, 2012.

The Crystal Clear Lens, Wednesday, October 03, 2012.

Story By: Cletus Abaare

Safe Child, a non-governmental organisation with its primary aim of protecting the Ghanaian children from all sorts of injury has lauded a Deputy Minister of Transport, Hon. Dzifa Attivor for her humanely intervention to save the lives of children at Weija who were dangerously scaling around the walls of the dam daily to access education.

“Safe Child, as a child injury prevention organisation wish to commend the Deputy Minister of Trasnport, Hon. Dzifa Attivor for promptly responding to relieve the plight of children of Ayigbe Town who had to scale the fence around the Weija Dam just to go to school,” this was noted in a press statement.

The statement furthered that, what excited Safe Child about the Minister’s intervention was the speed and alacrity with which the action was taken. This was rare in the Ghanaian society that mostly watched on and allow preventable disaster to kill innocent children day-in-day-out.

The Deputy Minister of Transport squatting, talking to a pupil.

“The Minister’s intervention coincides with Safe Child’s  clarion call for preventive action in the face of death threatening situations especially of children, which is encapsulated in our campaign ‘Inform to Save,’ the statement remarked.

Safe Child recounted that the Daily Graphic, in its Friday, September 14, 2012 edition, carried a report on how 275 pupils from the Weija Cluster of schools had dropped out of school as a result of the absence of a footbridge over the Weija Lake to give them access to school.

In addition, 1,200 pupils who live at Ayigbe Town, SCC, Old Barrier, Bortianor and Broadcasting, all communities on one side of the Weija Dam, put their lives in danger by scaling the walls of the dam daily to get to school.

“The Deputy Minister swiftly went to the rescue of the children by first paying a visit to the area to assess the situation. She immediately after realizing the gravity of the problem collaborated with other relevant stakeholders in working out to secure Metro Mass Transit (MMT) buses to convey the children to their various school.” the statement continued.

Pupils  happily boarding one of the buses.

The move is a temporary measure put in place to address the situation where school children from six to twelve years scale the Weija Dam Bridge to get access to their respective schools whilst a permanent solution to address the problem, a 45-metre pedestrian (foot) steel bridge over the Weija Dam will be constructed.

The move by the Minister should encourage other Public Officials, Corporate Bodies, Assembly Members, and individuals who have the capacity to create safer environment for our children and other people to do so.

I was Bullied through Elementary School through High School. It even continued as an Adult. I was scared to go to School. I cried knowing what was ahead.

I was called names and had my hair pulled, ridiculed and humiliated. My grades suffered. My Health suffered.

The worse part of it,  the Bullies were the neighbourhood kids. My parents were their friends so I couldn’t tell. I couldn’t tell the teachers either. I became a loner. Spent a lot of times by myself. Living in an alternative world. Where all was well, I was asked to come out and play.

But it would end in pain and tears. I was called “Ugly and Fat.”

Hey is the name I can print here. I was even humiliated by Teachers. Especially the Gym Teacher. I had a teacher punched me in the mouth with another girl’s head. I received a badly torn lip. I had to quit High School because of it. I was depressed and so sad.

I had no one to protect me. I do carry the scars of Bullying. I have had to go into therapy. I was labeled with Post Traumatic Syndrome.

I now have a group to help make people aware. It is Bullying real… It is a Crime Against Children.

I invite everyone who has been Bullied to join. All are welcomed.

God help the Children and Adults who live with this everyday.

-Cindy Smith.

The above message is found at the entrance of a Corporate Institution in Accra. There is Security on hand to ensure compliance.

We encourage other Institutions to be proactive in ensuring Road Safety rules too.