World Day Against Child Labour celebrated

Fante-Akura (B/A) June 17, GNA - Alhaji Iddris Gariba, District Chief Executive for Pru in Brong-Ahafo has reiterated the importance of using education to break the vicious cycle of poverty and ignorance that has contributed to the upsurge of labour exploitation of children in the country. He noted with regret that child labour had become endemic in fishing and farming communities as well as in commercial activities and domestic servitude.

Alhaji Gariba was speaking at the celebration of World Day Against Child Labour, jointly organised by the District Assembly and Mission of Hope for Society Foundation, an NGO, at Fante-Akura in the district. The celebration, which was under the theme: "Education, the right response to child labour", was attended by peer educators, heads of department, association of fishers and other stakeholders. The World Day Against Child Labour is a day set aside by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to sensitize the world on serious problems that millions of children are exposed to and to mobilize key partners to end child labour.

Alhaji Gariba explained that since education was the key to any developmental process, the government had been trying to provide an enabling environment through interventions, including the capitation grant, school feeding programme, free basic education and the livelihood empowerment against poverty. "The government is also pursuing laudable policies such as the provision of credit facilities to parents, alternative livelihood to farmers and fishermen with support from agriculture and fisheries ministries to help lessen the demand for child labour", he added. Alhaji Gariba appealed to parents to enrol their children of school going-age to school and provide them with basic necessities to supplement government efforts in promoting education. Mr. Gabriel Gbeil Benarkuu, Executive Director of the NGO, said according to ILO reports more than 165 million children between the age of five and 14 were involved in child labour. "Reports from Ghana child labour survey states that 2.4 million children are engaged in child labour while 240,000 are in worst forms of child labour, more especially in fishing and sexual activities", he said. Mr. Benarkuu noted that Ghana was the first country to ratify the UN convention on the right of the child and further domesticated by exacting the 1998 children's Act but added that, "still much needs to be desired". He expressed concern that the sub-part of Act 560 which mandated Metro, Municipal and District Assemblies to establish child panels had not been materialized, especially in Brong Ahafo. The Executive Director pointed out that even though the government was doing its best in the elimination of worst forms of child labour and education improvement, more resources needed to be put into the education sector and called on the District Assembly to institutionalize the domestic violence Act in all departments. Mr. Benarkuu disclosed that the Foundation had rescued 230 children from child labour at Yeji, a fishing community in the district and integrated them in basic schools and vocational centres. In another development, the Foundation, with support from ILO has provided 50 children who used to walk more than four to six kilometres to school in the Amoma circuit of Kintampo South district with bicycles to facilitate their academic progress and to promote the girl child's access to education.

Making the presentation at Amoma, Mr. Benarkuu thanked ILO for the support given to the children.

He said the Foundation was developing a strategic plan for five selected districts in the region where children were engaged in worst forms of child labour in fishing, mining and commercial agriculture. Mr. Benarkuu called on the Ministries of Women and Children Affairs, Manpower, Youth and Employment, Finance and Agriculture, to collaborate effectively to make the children's law practically operational.

He urged the media to develop more interest in promoting issues affecting children and appealed to all District Assemblies to make child panels operational in their respective areas.