Reciprocity, Respect and Responsibility: The 3Rs Underlying Parent-Child Relationships in Ghana and the Implications for Children's Rights

Abstract

Abstract As families are central to the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and children's rights generally, it is necessary to develop a deeper understanding of the ways in which children and adults interact with each other in these spheres. Thus, this paper explores the dynamics of parent-child relationships in Ghana, the first country to ratify the Convention. In particular, it focuses on the three Rs of intergenerational relationships in Ghana – respect, responsibility and reciprocity, which continue to be central to parent-child/adult-child relations, and assesses their implications for the very concept of children's rights as inalienable and the implementation of the Convention.