This, according to the organisation, will augment government’s efforts in the fight against child labour in Ghana.

[contextly_sidebar id=”F0zHhc7qOVbiNlfuxidheGEfCeHRrAwM”]The organisation, which works with the cocoa industry, civil societies, farmers’ organisations, international organisations and national governments in cocoa-producing countries, said it is committed to ensuring a better future for children and to advance the elimination of child labour.

The ICI is targeting to protect one million children within cocoa growing communities in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire against child labour by 2020.

ICI has been engaging with some farmers in Cocoa growing communities in the Western Region, who have also pledged their support to fight against child labour in the country.

The farmers have begun mobilizing themselves and are intensifying awareness in cocoa growing areas where the practice is rife.

Most of the farmers who were unaware of the consequences of the practice, are beginning to desist from it.

Cocoa farmers from Kofi krom, Kramokrom, Nyame Nnae, Ankra Muano and Abonse, all in the Western Region, said they are making strides in the fight against child labour in cocoa production.

According to the farmers, child labour issues have reduced in their respective communities with the setting up of Community Child Protection Committees (CCPCs).

Abanga Mordecai, a teacher at the Abonse M/A primary school in the Sefwi Wiawso Municipality narrated how child labour issues affected enrollment at the school.

He said an intervention by ICI to build the capacities of members of the CCPCs to enable them create awareness, and also monitor child labour issues in their areas has yielded positive results.

“When ICI came to us, they made us understand that it is the right of the child to go to school no matter the condition. So we should embark on a campaign to educate the parents how dangerous it is when the child is involved in farming and the labour work that is beyond the child’s strength. Before 2015, our school enrollment was about 90 from K.G 1 up to class six. But right now we can boast of 200 students because of the intervention by the ICI”.

A female cocoa farmer from Ankra Muano, Lydia Adu, said the intervention has helped in the reduction of child labour in cocoa production.

She said most of the children are now enlightened on child labour issues and are not allowing parents to use them on cocoa farms to the detriment of their education.

At a three-day child labour training for selected journalists and a talk shop with cocoa growing communities in the Sefwi Wiawso Municipality of the Western Region, Communication Specialist at the Cocoa International Initiative (ICI), Irene Ofosu-Ennin, urged the media to report more on child labour issues.

She indicated that, because child labour is a social issue, the ICI has employed awareness raising strategies to empower the community members who will also educate other farmers on the dangers of child labour.

Ms. Ofosu-Ennin said ICI will continue to improve the lives of children in cocoa growing communities, safeguard their rights and contribute to the elimination of child labour.

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By: Hafiz Tijani/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The leadership of the union said it would continue its collaboration with Government, Cocoa partners, local and international stakeholders towards the elimination of child labour, and worst forms of child labour in all cocoa grown localities.

[contextly_sidebar id=”9mL5FwUKjO0VD5kZb9U7TINCmLJlgjlk”]According to the leadership, the KKFU child labour unit through its five (5) year remediation plan, is committed to ensure that children at risk of entering into child labour are prevented, withdrawn and protected.

The union has in the course of the season intensified sensitization and awareness creation programmes through extensive radio discussions and community engagements on the consequences of child labour.

Acting Executive Secretary of the KKFU, Nelson Adubobour, speaking at the 23^rd Annual Delegates conference of the union in Kumasi, revealed that follow-up visits were done by the unit to forty seven (47) cocoa communities for a detailed sensitization and awareness creation.

He indicated that a watchdog machinery which is the community child protection committee has also been re-organized in 15 communities.

“KKFU in conjunction with Millennium Promise Alliance have developed a full fledged Project proposal titled “Kuapa Kooko Back To School Project.”

This project seeks to introduce innovative local interventions to increase access, enrollment, quality and retention of children in schools in at least 12 cocoa districts in Ghana. Plans are underway to seek funding opportunities for its implementation”.

Mr. Adubobour pledged the commitment of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and Management of the KKFU to support a comprehensive healthcare delivery to all Kuapa Kooko farmers.

President of the KKFU, Fatima Ali, has encouraged young women in the country to venture into cocoa production.

According to her, the “Young Women in Cocoa Production” was initiated to empower young women, help them gain access to land, own a cocoa farm in order to be self-independent, grow domestic economy, enhance food security and have good standard of living in the future.”

Twenty-two (22) young women have participated with a total land size of twenty one (21) acres within four operational zones since the inception of the project.

Nine thousand and four (9,004) plantain suckers have been planted on all the fields.

Madam Ali said plans were underway to get a partner to support the project to enable its expansion.

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By: Hafiz Tijani/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

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SOS, in a statement, served notice of its drive to accelerate the protection and empowerment of vulnerable children as part of its Strategy 2030.

[contextly_sidebar id=”YIbA2NoqbO3WIEX9ak0bwW86QL2hEmKb”]Its central message said ‘No child should grow up alone’ and the strategy directly relates to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on poverty, inequality, education, health, social and child safeguarding.

The statement noted how far Ghana had to go with respect to child protection citing the 2014 Child Labour Report indicating that 21.8 percent of 5-17 year olds were engaged in child labour.

SOS also highlighted the rising incidence of defilement noting that “in 2013, the latest year for which data was available, the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) received 1,228 complaints of suspected child defilement (Ghana Human Rights Report, 2015).”

Child marriage was known to be most prevalent in Upper East Region at 39 percent, Western Region at 37 percent, and Upper West Region at 36 percent.

Alexander Mar Kekula, the National Director of SOS Children’s Villages Ghana called on “African Governments and the Government of Ghana in particular to put the inherent rights of children high on their political agenda and take commitment to provide the resources required to support children with quality care and the protection needed for their safety and security as provided by the African Charter of Child Rights.”

“The long term impact of these measures can help address the rising issues of radicalization, migration and unemployment on the continent and in Ghana for that matter, and thus, help to better provide quality care for our children,” he added.

Find below the full SOS statement

As we mark the Day of the African Child, SOS Children’s Villages urges decision-makers to guarantee a Zero-tolerance approach towards child rights violations. SOS Children’s Villages Ghana calls for more investment by governments as duty bearers, to ensure that children in Africa have access to protection, justice and equal opportunity.

The level of poverty, conflicts and injustice in African countries put the future of many children in jeopardy; Children without parental care or at risk of losing it are the most vulnerable and face a heightened risk of violence, abuse, and neglect. With so many challenges, their development is stunted, which hampers their future. They cannot grow up to become self-reliant and active citizens.

According to the 2010 Population Census, Ghana’s population of 24,658,000 has 11,026,524 under 18 year olds. This represents a significant children’s population requiring quality care and protection. Currently 90 percent of boys and girls are enrolled in primary level. Whilst this looks good compared to other Sub-Saharan African countries, it also means 10 percent of children – that’s one child in every ten – is not in primary school. This is a significant proportion of children denied the chance to reach their fullest potential. Recent global data indicates that increasing a country’s average years of schooling by just one year can result in an 18 per cent increase in GDP per capita (UNICEF, 2015).

The term “child labour” refers to children in employment. It is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their education, potential and dignity, and is harmful to their physical and mental development. According to the 2014 Child Labour Report, 21.8 percent of 5-17 year olds were engaged in child labour. It is worrying to see a host of children in this age group in the central business district of Accra working as ‘Kayayei, Shoe Shine Boys, hawkers, etc.

The migration of children to urban areas, because of economic hardship in rural areas often forces children to support themselves to survive. What this means is that, they are effectively missing out on their education, potential and dignity. This has some unfortunate implications as contained in the 2014 Demographic and Health Survey. Under-5 mortality among children born to mothers with no education (92 deaths per 1,000 live births) is higher than children born to mothers with middle/JHS (54 deaths per 1,000 live births). Ensuring that our children are educated will secure the survival of the next generation of Ghanaians.

Another troubling Child Protection issue is the rising incidence of defilement. In 2013, the latest year for which data was available, the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) received 1,228 complaints of suspected child defilement (Ghana Human Rights Report, 2015). This report further dilated on the problem of child marriage, stating that child marriage nationwide was 27 percent in 2011, the latest year for which data was available.  Child marriage was most prevalent in Upper East Region (39 percent), Western Region (37 percent), and Upper West Region (36 percent).

It is for these reasons and more that “we call on African Governments and the Government of Ghana in particular to put the inherent rights of children high on their political agenda and take commitment to provide the resources required to support children with quality care and the protection needed for their safety and security as provided by the African Charter of Child Rights. The long term impact of these measures can help address the rising issues of radicalisation, migration and unemployment on the continent and in Ghana for that matter, and thus, help to better provide quality care for our children,” said Mr. Alexander Mar Kekula – National Director – SOS Children’s Villages Ghana.

As we mark the Day of the African Children, focusing on accelerating protection, empowerment and equal opportunity by 2030, SOS Children’s Villages Ghana will focus on the most vulnerable children who are at the heart of our Strategy 2030, with the central message: ‘No child should grow up alone’. The strategy directly relates to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in key areas such as poverty, inequality, education, health, social and child safeguarding, and decent work.

“To make the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030 a reality, scaling-up access to education, health care and equal opportunity cannot wait. More importantly, we need to invest in children today, if they are counted, we can know how many of them are most vulnerable and at risk,” says Mr. Alexander Mar Kekula. “Every African child deserves quality care and to grow up in a safe environment.”

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The country has been ranked in the second tier for the second year in a row, and has thus been noted by the US Department of State for not fully meeting “the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking in person, including child labour.”

The revelation was made by the Chief of Party of the USAID Sustainable Fisheries Management Project (SFMP), Maurice Knight, at a durbar at Apam in the Gomoa West District in the Central Region, to commemorate this year’s World Day against Child Labour.

The durbar, dabbed “Eliminating Child Labour and Trafficking in our Vulnerable Community is Our Duty”, was a USAID Ghana/Sustainable  Fisheries Management Project  (SFMP) programme that featured school children, fishermen and fishmongers in and around Apam.

The campaign against child labour and slavery aims at educating parents in fishing communities on dangers of child labour in fishing, with the ultimate goal of keeping children in fishing areas in the classroom.

Clarifying what the US State Department means by child labour, Mr. Knight said, “When we speak of child labour and slavery, we are not talking about children who are helping their parents with their chores before and after school.

It is the exploitation “from traffickers and others who promises parents of children as young as five years old that they will provide children with an education and an apprenticeship, and then exploit or sell those children into modern day slavery.”

It is estimated that there are over 2.7 million child labourers in Ghana, and that the largest employers of child labour in Ghana are in the fishing, cocoa and artisanal mining sectors.

He has urged the government of Ghana to seriously improve on its efforts aimed at stamping out child labour in the fishing, mining and farming sectors to create a better future for the children of Ghana.

The District Chief Executive of the Gomoa West District, Hon Bismark Baisie Nkum, called on chief fishermen, chairmen of landing beach committees and all fisher folks to rally behind the campaign by “monitoring and reporting any act of child labour and trafficking identified in the fishing communities to the police or the District Assembly for necessary action to be taken”.

Hon Nkum further advised parents to eschew trafficking, noting they “should realize that the immediate solution to (their) poverty is not selling (their) children for money which will end them into slavery or child labour in different communities”.

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By: Joseph Ackon-Mensah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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During his vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee, Dr. Afriyie insisted the child labour was not a problem in the cocoa sector and blamed a cultural disconnect for the perception.

[contextly_sidebar id=”w1g7jyWBI9lMW4fk6tvONFCvwwZ96AxQ”]“You will be surprised that child labour per say is not a big issue in the cocoa industry in Ghana now. You have to segregate the cultural dimensions of our social setup from what people label as child labour,” he explained to the vetting committee when the topic was raised.

“That child labour thing especially in the cocoa industry, I am happy to report, is largely and grossly exaggerated in this country because it gives our country a bad image,” the Minister-nominee added.

The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, during the vetting, interposed that there may be some legitimacy to the concerns with child labour given  US department of state has recently downgraded Ghana citing child labour in the agriculture sector, and in particular the cocoa sector.

The US department of state notes that Ghana continues to engage in the worst forms of child labour, including in fishing and harvesting cocoa.

Dr. Afriyie retorted, saying he took “strong exception” to such claims adding that “perhaps we have to educate those who are labelling us as such.”

“This problem is an image problem which is intertwined with our cultural values. If you come to my village and at about 4 pm, you find a child turning the cocoa over, I do not classify that as child labour.”

“I am not denying that you will not get a case of child labour or child abuse in this society. All I am saying is, that kind of stigmatisation, the child labour thing has got its own cultural dimension that they will lump all together,” Dr. Afriyie noted later on when confronted with some concerns like the proximity of children to dangerous tools, strenuous working condition and chemicals like pesticides.

He also said fathers taking their children along to farms did not constitute child labour explaining that, “your son is going for an exercise, he doesn’t carry heavy loads. On weekends he wants to accompany his father to the farm instead of loitering about in the village and engaging in mischievous things… I don’t classify that as child labour.”

Child labour statistics

According to a survey by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), more than 21 percent of children in Ghana are still engaged in child labour.

A report which was released by the GSS in 2014 indicated that 21.8 per cent of children aged 5 to 17, representing about 1.9 million children, were engaged in child labour while 14.5 percent of the children covered in the survey were engaged in hazardous child labour.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Cocoa sector child labour concerns ‘grossly exaggerated’ – Minister nominee appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The signing of the MOUs with the 36 institutions is to also secure their commitment to carry out their responsibilities and roles as assigned to them in the MOUs.

Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, said the second phase of the NPA, developed by the Ministry through the National Steering Committee on Child Labour for implementation from 2016 to 2020, was aimed at reducing the reducing the worst forms of child labour to the barest minimum, that is 10 per cent, by 2020.

He said the growing incidence of child labour in Ghana is a matter of major concern to the country’s international partners, especially the United States.

The US registered its disappointment at the handling of the matter during a recent trip to that country by the Minister of Employment.

He gave the assurance that Ghana is committed to the fight against all forms of child labour and is putting in measures to tackle the phenomenon, which is pervasive in various sectors, especially the cocoa sector.

He said the Ministries of Employment and Labour Relations, Interior, Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Attorney General and the Ministry of Justice are the lead agencies in the fight against child labour and would work in a coordinated manner to end child labour.

Mr Iddrisu stated that as part of the moves to address child labour and related issues, the Domestic Workers Regulations Bill has been signed and would be laid before Parliament when it reconvenes.

The Ministry has also mandated the Chief Labour Officer at the Ministry to deal with unlicensed recruitment agencies, who tend to recruit underage children, especially for domestic work.

He called on stakeholders to show real commitment beyond the NPA2, especially the lead agencies, to end the worst forms of child labour.

Mr James Agalga, Deputy Minister of the Interior, said the Ministry had tasked the Ghana Immigration Service and the Ghana Police Service to increase its investigations into incidence of child trafficking.

He noted that more sensitisation is needed to make people aware of the illegality of child trafficking and child labour, and to facilitate prosecution when arrests are made.

Some stakeholder agencies, including the International Migration Organisation, and the International Cocoa Initiative, underscored the need to address the child labour  as it affects the future of children in the country and pledged their commitment to support the fight.

Director of Research and Projects at the Ghana Employers Association said there is the need for a holistic approach to tackle child labour that would address both the push and pull factors of child labour.

He also called for increased social dialogue on the matter and also for more funding for the implementation of the NPA2 to ensure its success.

Following the signing of the MOUs, the NPA2 document is expected to be submitted to Cabinet for approval and then printed and launched.

The successful implementation of the NPA2 is also expected to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goal No. 8.7.

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Source: GNA

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