GIZ EMPOWERS NCCE AND CHRAJ TO CHAMPION GENDER EQUALITY AND CHILDREN'S RIGHTS ONLINE

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, GIZ-funded Support to Human Rights, Gender Equality, and Civil Society (SHE) project has organised a training of trainers’ workshop for forty-four (44) public educators from the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ). The capacity-building workshop, held in Accra, focused on promoting children's rights in the digital space and gender-transformative approaches.

The project also aimed to have a rippling effect and equip public educators with knowledge to enhance children's rights online, especially the growing issue of online child sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA) in West Africa, and support survivors of discrimination. The initiative, after implementation, will benefit various stakeholders, communities, and individuals, especially women, youth, and children across Ghana through face-to-face and virtual public engagements.

Meanwhile, participants of the workshop were engaged in a variety of activities, including presentations and role-plays, to gauge their comprehension of the concepts highlighted by the various facilitators.

Some topics treated during the workshop were:

 Human Rights: Understanding state obligations, business and human rights, discrimination, child rights conventions, human rights and freedoms, etc.

 SGBV Prevention: Strategies to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence.

 Children’s Rights and Digital Safety: Addressing online threats like child grooming, cyberbullying, sextortion, sexting, principles of child rights conventions, etc.

 Community Engagement: Mechanisms, strategies, demographics, and role-playing exercises to prepare participants for public education and community outreach.

The workshop was attended by representatives from GIZ, facilitators, Senior Directors from NCCE and CHRAJ, and implementing District Directors from both institutions, drawn from the Greater Accra, Central, and Eastern Regions. Certificates were also awarded to participants to formalize the commencement of their field activities.