IS SOCIAL PROTECTION A RIGHT? AN EXAMINATION OF SOCIAL PROTECTION POLICIES AND STRATEGIES FOR HIV/AIDS ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN WA AND JIRAPA TOWNSHIPS OF THE UPPER WEST REGION OF GHANA

Abstract

Social protection involves choices about whether the core principle behind social provisioning will be universal or selective through targeting. Extreme poverty is regarded as the world's greatest human rights issue. The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, starts from the idea that all human beings are born free and equal in status and rights. Under the international human rights law, States are legally obligated to establish social protection systems for their citizens, especially the vulnerable and at risk. Social protection in Ghana assumes three main targets for poverty reduction; the first target looks at labour market interventions in terms of employment services, job training, and direct employment generation. The second target deals with social insurance that targets mitigating risk, disability, ill health, old age, health insurance, and the third target is social assistance that provides welfare and social services, cash or in-kind transfers, and subsidies. The interventions under these targets are either universal or targeted. The study was concerned with the right base of social protection for OVC and examined the impact and challenges of some social protection interventions. Three categories of participants made up of 53 OVC, Caregivers, SP interventions and institutions as well as Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) were selected across the two townships of Wa and Jirapa for the study through systematic random sampling. Close ended questionnaires were administered to the OVC and their care-givers, while open ended questionnaires were administered to managers of some selected SP interventions, SP institutions and NGOs. Cross-sectional design was used and purposive sampling technique was employed to sample out the two townships. Methodologically, the study applied qualitative and quantitative instruments of data collection. The findings revealed that OVC do not only

lack basic human right needs such as food, nutrition, education health care, water and clothing, but also face harmful cultural and traditional practices such as the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) among others entrenched in the study areas. Some SP interventions such as the NYEP have no impact on the lives of OVC especially those in working class. Lack of funds and poor coordination and monitoring were identified. The study concluded on the notion that SP needs legal framework backing and support to be able to make significant impact on OVC. Therefore, the study recommended the redesigning of the NYEP to take on OVC, the need for intersectoral strengthening and linkages and proper monitoring and coordination of SP programmes.