Children in Migration and Migration Policy: The Ghanaian Context

Abstract

Globally, there have been concerns about child migration, wellbeing and holistic child protection policy to address and protect migrant children. However, there is no comprehensive national migration policy managing migration in Ghana; hence it is being managed by different policies and legislations. The present study examined the policies and legal instruments that are directly and indirectly related to child migration in Ghana. The general objective was to examine how these policies have facilitated child migration and the implications of such policies on child migrants and children left behind in Ghana. The specific objectives were to describe and analyze the legal documents, laws and policies on migration that affect children. It also explored how some of them address issues of migration concerning children as well as examined the role that some state and international organizations play in protecting child migrants. The study also analyzed the challenges faced by policy implementers in protecting these children among others. Several policies and legal frameworks were selected and analyzed for the study. The study selected relevant policies and legal frameworks out of a pool that Ghana has on child migration. These included the Children's Act of 1998, Act 560, the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, the Human Trafficking Act of 2005, Act 694 among others. Sections and Chapters of these legal frameworks address issues on child migration. The major findings of the study indicate that there are various migration related policies that protect children, but not a comprehensive single policy to protect migrant children. The study found out that, although there are benefits in migration for children, policies are often meant to address risks and negatives associated with child migration. Most of the policies sought among its objectives to prevent or address issues related to child migrant. The study made some recommendations that all laws and policies on migration that address child migrants should be reviewed and condensed into a comprehensive framework for addressing child migration in Ghana. This could be placed in the National Migration Policy when it is revised in the future. Another is a stronger political commitment on the part of government to support international organizations, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and others who address problems faced by child migrants. By this approach, the benefits of migration to children will eventually benefit the country.