By Emelia B. Addae
Koforidua, Feb. 08, GNA – Mr Kojo Asare, New Juaben South Municipal Labour Officer of the Labour Department, has advised parents and guardians, as well as the public, to avoid practices that expose children under the age of 18 to both physical and moral risks.
He said parents should follow the country’s labour department’s guidelines regarding forced labor, child labor, and child trafficking.
Mr Asare told the Ghana News Agency that the Labour Department was working closely with the Social Welfare, Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit, Community Child Protection Committee, and Municipal and District Assemblies to ensure that children’s rights were not violated.
Some of the rights of children in Ghana he mentioned included nondiscrimination on the basis of gender, race, religion, health status, ethnic origin, birth, or other status.
He emphasized the role of parents in protecting children’s rights and education, and said that parents should work hard to support children’s livelihoods and enrollment, as well as protect their children from neglect, violence, abuse, oppression, and exposure to physical and moral hazards.
”These can reduce poverty risk, and vulnerability, which lead to forced labour, child labour, and child trafficking,” he said.
He said that the department, under the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, was mandated to provide labour policy advice, administer labour legislation, and investigate and pay worker’s compensation claims to injured workers.
It also ensures Ghana’s continued relationship and membership with the International Labour Organisation and other global bodies, noting: “As a department, we will ensure the enforcement of labour laws in Ghana.
GNA