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The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and three key stakeholders have resolved to fight all cultural practices harmful to children such as child marriages and female genital mutilation, in a communiqu�. The communiqu� stated that all forms of violence against children, including child trafficking and sexual abuse of both boys and girls, will be vehemently spoken against. The above resolutions were contained in a communiqu� issued after a half-day interaction with heads of religious bodies held by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in Accra yesterday. Dr Joyce Aryee, founder of Salt and Light Ministries, warned that Ghana�s future will be jeopardised if structures are not put in place to nurture the youth. �Since children are going to hold the fort for the next and unborn generation, protecting them now secures our future,� she added. She stated that it was necessary to bring on board religious leaders because of the influence they wield on their congregants. Dr Aryee noted that it was necessary to find realistic and suitable solutions to the cases of abuse and parental neglect that have characterised the family structures in the country. In a presentation, Nana Oye Lithur, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, stated that there were some critical issues facing children in the country. According to her, poverty, malnutrition, child labour, early and forced marriages and violence were some of the problems that plagued the Ghanaian child. She recounted that during this year�s Easter Soup Kitchen organised by Joy FM, she met 50 children who were living on the streets of Accra and confessed to have been engaged in all kinds of social vices. Nana Oye Lithur stated that Ghana was faced with a challenge of having no comprehensive national policy framework for child protection. This, in her explanation, has culminated into a lack of clarity in mandates of key stakeholders. She called on religious leaders to take the issues affecting children to their various congregations and help create an environment safe for nurturing. Nana Oye Lithur was positive that the influence of religious leaders will go a long way to impact the issues at hand. According to her, statistics show that 95% of Ghanaians are under the direction and guidance of religious leaders.