By Iddi Yire
Accra, May 30, GNA-Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, the Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment, has reiterated Ghana’s commitment to ending menace of Child Labour.
According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the term “Child Labour” is defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development.
Speaking in Accra at the national launch and colloquium of the 2025 World Day Against Child Labour, Dr Pelpuo said Child Labour remained one of the most pressing developmental challenges confronting the nation, with an approximately two million children representing 28 per cent said to be involved in child labour.
This estimate, he said was according to the reports of the 2021 National Population and Housing Census of the Ghana Statistical Service.
The Minister said more worrying was that many of these children were aged in the hazardous sectors, especially agriculture, fishing, domestic work and the formal sector.
He said nevertheless, the government through the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment had shown a great deal of will and commitment in the eradication of child labour.
He said since assuming office as the sector minister, he had made a personal commitment to implement drastic results-oriented policies and programmes that would consolidate the success already chalked by his predecessors in the elimination of Child Labour.
He said it was regrettable that after 60 years of independence, they continued to attribute the independence of Child Labour to poverty; saying “This is unfortunate, and we must do everything in our power to change the narrative for the better”.
He said as a country, they had all the laws, policies and programmes to deal with this menace decisively, and that what they required at this critical moment were concrete actions and solutions to this decade-long phenomenon.
He said it was for this reason that he considered the theme for this year’s recommendation, He said Ghana’s efforts to eliminate Child Labour, shows that progress was clear, but there was more to do, and that they must speed up.
He said the theme for this year’s celebration was a clarion call that compels all stakeholders to reflect on how far they had come while confronting the reality that millions of children worldwide, including children of their own communities, face in this karma of exploitative labour.
“As stakeholders, we cannot look unconcerned as children continue to be the rocks of their childhood, education and aspirations,” Dr Pelpuo said.
“Today, we gather not merely to commemorate the day, but also to commit ourselves to transforming this vision into reality.”
He noted that in recent years, the governments had made remarkable strides in the elimination of child labour, driven by a steadfast commitment to justice and human dignity.
He said through legislative reforms, policies and strategic partnerships, they had made significant headway bringing the situation under control.
Dr Pelpuo said various interventions implemented to eradicate the canker were not far-fetched, citing key among them included the development and implementation of a national trade plan of actions in the elimination of Child Labour.
Others are implementation of social interventions such as the Cocoa Enhancement Programme, Ghana Cocoa Board Child Education School Programme, the Ghana School Feeding Programme, Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) and capital grants to support vulnerable households.
He underscored the Government’s commitment to ensuring that Child Labour would not be part of the agenda in producing cocoa.
“So, it is an important aspect of our commitment not to use child labour because the world is watching and we are watching ourselves,” he said.
“Our children’s future will have to be protected. Their aspirations will have to be guarded. Their intentions to develop themselves into useful adults will have to be supported.”
Madam Peninnah Adjoa Akuffo, Assistant Manager, Membership Services, Ghana Employers’ Association (GEA), said in the acknowledgement of the invaluable role that employers play in accelerating the elimination of Child Labour in the country, the Association remains committed to upholding ethical labour practices within their member organisations and promoting child-labour free workplaces through strategic partnerships, awareness creation, capacity building and advocacy.
She said the GEA would continue to push for policies that facilitate decent work practices across all sectors, declaring that “the future of our children depends on this”.
GNA
Edited by George-Ramsey Benamba