Child Labour: A global canker
Child labour refers to work that deprives minors aged between five and 17 years of their livelihood and has the potential to affect their health, as well as their physical and mental development. It also refers to depriving children of the opportunity to attend school, among others.
Advertisement
Typically, child labour is predominant in the cocoa and artisanal gold mining areas such as Obuasi, Prestea and Kumasi etc.
In Ghana, the following legislations apply to fight child labour
- The 1992 Constitution of Ghana (Article 28(2) )
- The Children’s Act, 2003 (Act 560)
- The Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694)
- The Trafficking Regulation 2219/2015
- The Criminal Code (Amendment) Act, 1998 (Act 554)
- The National Plan of Action (NPA2, 2016-2020)
However, concerns have been expressed about the evils of child labour per the outcome of the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS) Round six Report released by the Ghana Statistical Service in 2014. Statistics reveal that an estimated 8.7 million children aged between five -17 years, representing 21.8 per cent of children, were engaged in child labour.
Also, the Ghana Statistical Service Report for 2014 released and supported by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), indicates that 21.8 per cent of children aged five -17 (about 1.9 million) were still engaged in child labour in Ghana. Notably, about 14.2 per cent of the children covered in the survey (about 1.2 million) were engaged in hazardous forms of child labour. Also, 14.2 per cent of the children captured by the survey (1.2 million children) were engaged in hazardous work.
It is worthy of note that the UN agenda for transformation has also included its target on the eliminations of all forms of child labour by 2025, an indicator for achieving economic growth and decent work.
The Project Director of ILO, Accra, Mrs Lalaina Razandrokoto, during the commemoration of the 2016 World Day against Child Labour, said that child labour thrived in the informal sector where decent work was on a small scale.
This is predominant mostly where measures related to labour market governance, labour inspection, occupational safety and health and social dialogue are often weak or absent. Further, wages, income security and social protection are also inadequate.
Following the implementation of the NPA1, an NPA2 has been developed awaiting the approval from cabinet after which it will be vigorously implemented by making use of robust collaboration and coordination among partners.
The NPA2, when implemented, is expected to reflect more vigour and with a robust frame of collaboration and coordination among partners, in the context of effective monitoring and accountability to curbing the menace, seeks to mobilise more resources, focus action in local communities and strengthen education outcome so that children are enrolled and retained in school.
A statement by the former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Baba Jamal, at the media launch of the World Day Against Child Labour 2016 on the theme: “End Child Labour in Supply Chains in Ghana: Together We Can!,” said the elimination of child labour required a holistic approach which must not be compromised, providing free and compulsory quality education, ensuring that all boys and girls have a safe and quality learning environment, enforcement of laws on child labour and the promotion of social protection policies to encourage school attendance.
In order to curb the menace of child labour, stakeholders have resolved to mobilise resources, focus action in local communities, such as the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) and get many child labourers enrolled in schools to achieve better results when the NPA2 is implemented.
If the problems of child labour are ignored and the laws and regulations are not adequately enforced; children who should be in school will remain working instead.
At this juncture, it will not be out of place if all Ghanaians rise to the occasion to support the agenda to reduce child labour to the barest minimum if it can be completely eliminated.
As the world frowns on the evils of child labour, so also must we help to nip child labour in the bud in order to produce out the best human resources in the future.
Let us do away with child labour now!
The writer is a Communication Strategist and a Deputy Public Affairs Officer of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, Accra