Child advocacy, Compassion Togo pleaded for child protection in the northern part of the country

© Afreepress (Lomé, the 29^th August 2014)-The Christian NGO Compassion International held on August 22 and 23, an advocacy workshop in Kara and Bassar regions, in the northern part of Togo. More than 400church leaders attended the workshop whose objective is to mobilize the various churches in Kara region for child protection.

In his opening speech, the national director of Compassion, Peter Komlavi Ataty, invited the leaders to turn a favorable eye towards children. “A child represents future”, he explained.

He continued,“Even in this region, children are abused: little girls are forced to marry men who can be their fathers. Many children, instead of being at school, are in farms, market places and streets. Some are sent abroad to work and help parents provide for their family’s needs. That's why Compassion International exists as an advocate for children to deliver them from spiritual, economic, physical and socio- emotional poverty.”

He also asked the various leaders to care for needy children in the area.

Mr. Maxwell Wogomebu, program manager at Compassion, in his presentation on children’s situation around worldwide, told the attendees that thousands of children are abused every hour, but as they have no voice, no one comes to help them. In assemblies and meetings, children are not defended. They are in the streets in very difficult conditions, but no one wants to rescue them. Mr. Wogomebu invited his audience to invest in children because they are tomorrow's leaders.

At the end of the meeting, all the pastors agreed on the fact that the will fight for the right of children. By February 2015, Compassion envisages to open child development centers in the north of Togo.