Beauty Pageant Designed To Fight Child Trafficking

Brein Consult, organisers of "Face of Tertiary" beauty pageant, on Friday launched the 2009 edition of the show, with a call on all Ghanaians to help in the fight against child trafficking.

The pageant, which would attract beauty queens from tertiary institutions, would be on the theme: "Defining a Role for Tertiary Institutions in Eradicating Child Trafficking in Ghana", is slated for October 20.

Addressing media at the launch, Madam Christiana Nandara, Executive Director of Brein Consult, said the pageant was a novelty that sought to produce beauty queens who would use their beauty and intelligence to propagate a worthy cause.

She said the high rate of child trafficking in the country motivated her to make it the theme for this year's pageant.

"In recent times, it has been estimated that 40 per cent of all children in the country are engaged in some form of economic activity including the worst forms of child labour," Madam Nandara explained.

Ms Florence Quartey, a representative of the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC), said child trafficking was a child right and developmental issue, which needed urgent attention.

"It requires an action oriented research, multidimensional policy measures and aggressive operational responses." She cited poverty, weak governance, armed conflicts and lack of effective protection against discrimination and exploitation as some of the root causes of the menace.

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