BY Daniel Bampoe
The Member of Parliament for Suhum Constituency, Frank Asiedu Bekoe, popularly known as Protozoa, has intensified his advocacy for child protection, arguing that the response to child abuse, trafficking, drug and substance abuse must begin with stronger families and responsible parenting rather than relying solely on government institutions after problems have occurred.
Frank Asiedu Bekoe made the call during a field monitoring and capacity-building visit by the Human Rights Committee of Parliament on child rights-related issues in the Eastern Region, particularly Suhum and Kyebi.
The programme, organised under the broader parliamentary engagement with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), is held at the Capital View Hotel in Koforidua from 30 August to 3 September 2026.
Speaking at the engagement, the Suhum MP said child protection had been an area of interest to him even before his election to Parliament, drawing on his background as a trained teacher from the Mampong Technical Teachers College in the Ashanti Region.
He, however, acknowledged that his work on Parliament’s Human Rights Committee had significantly broadened his understanding of the challenges surrounding child rights and protection.
He recalled that shortly after being sworn into office as the MP for Suhum in 2025, he became increasingly concerned about what he described as the growing problem of drug and substance abuse among young people in the municipality.
According to him, the issue remained a major concern and required sustained community-level intervention.
In response, he said he engaged the then Municipal Coordinating Director, the Municipal Health Director, Frederick Okosu, psychiatric experts and a wide range of community stakeholders, including chiefs, queen mothers, the Local Council of Churches, assembly members, the Council of Zongo Chiefs, traders, market queens and the media.
The consultations subsequently led to the organisation of a stakeholders’ meeting and the establishment of a working committee comprising representatives from various groups.
The committee, chaired by the Municipal Health Directorate, embarked on an educational campaign aimed particularly at young people and community members to raise awareness about the dangers associated with drug and substance abuse.
Asiedu Bekoe said the campaign has since taken the team to churches, schools and communities, but admitted that sustaining such initiatives required resources.
He appealed to public-spirited individuals and organisations to support the campaign financially, noting that he had personally committed resources to the effort.
The MP also highlighted his growing partnership with the International Justice Mission (IJM) as another important development in his child protection advocacy.
He said that following engagements with IJM, the organisation agreed to partner with him in addressing some of the challenges confronting children and families in the Suhum Municipality.
Under the partnership, a two-day stakeholder engagement was organised in Suhum, bringing together chiefs, midwives, heads of departments, assembly members, security agencies, representatives of the Local Council of Churches, Muslim leaders and other stakeholders.
He described the programme as successful and impactful, saying it provided an opportunity for key actors to examine child protection challenges from the community level.
According to the MP, the next phase of the initiative is expected to take place in October 2026, when IJM will return to Suhum to support the establishment of Community Child Protection Committees in selected communities.
These committees are expected to work with local stakeholders to strengthen awareness, identify child protection concerns and support efforts to safeguard children’s rights.
The MP said the long-term objective is to strengthen the child protection system at the community and municipal levels rather than waiting for cases of abuse, trafficking or exploitation to escalate before action is taken.
