By Laudia Sawer
Tema, June 12, GNA – Dr Joseph Whittal, Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), has called on the government and stakeholders to take decisive steps to eliminate child labour in Ghana effectively.
Dr Whittal, in a statement on World Day Against Child Labour copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the persistence of child labour in Ghana was driven by a combination of structural, economic, and socio-cultural factors.
He said such steps therefore include the urgent need to update and expand national data on child labour through comprehensive and periodic surveys combined with robust monitoring systems, which are essential to capture emerging trends and identify vulnerable groups.
He also added that local structures must be empowered to play a more active role in prevention and response, while social welfare departments and other agencies and institutions must also be adequately resourced and trained to detect, report, and manage child labour cases effectively.
“The development of a harmonised digital monitoring and response system is critical. This system should enable real-time data sharing and coordination among the Ministry of Employment, the Ghana Education Service, CHRAJ, the Labour Department, and key civil society actors. Such integration will significantly improve case tracking, resource allocation, and overall efficiency.”
He also called for the expansion of social protection programmes such as the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), noting that these schemes should be linked directly to education and child welfare services to provide families with a viable alternative to child labour.
“In parallel, the capacity of law enforcement agencies must be strengthened to ensure that those who exploit children face real consequences under the law.”
The CHRAJ commissioner observed that even though Ghana has taken bold steps towards eliminating child labour through strong legal frameworks and the ratification of conventions such as the ILO Conventions 138 and 182 on minimum age and worst forms of child labour, there was a significant gap in implementation, monitoring, and prosecution of violations.
He further indicated that budgetary constraints and limited logistical support also continue to hamper the effectiveness of child protection institutions at the district and community levels.
Dr Whittal further stated that many child protection committees and social welfare offices operated without adequate resources or trained personnel, limiting their ability to respond to cases in a timely and comprehensive manner.
“Another pressing issue is the fragmentation of efforts among government agencies, civil society organisations, and the private sector. The lack of an integrated monitoring and response system hinders data sharing, joint planning, and accountability. As a result, children often fall through the cracks of the protection system.”
He indicated that cultural norms and practices that normalised child labour, especially in sectors such as agriculture, domestic service, street vending, and informal apprenticeships, remained deeply entrenched, explaining that these beliefs were often reinforced by poverty, where families felt they had no choice but to rely on their children’s labour for survival.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) launched the World Day Against Child Labour in 2002 to raise awareness of the prevalence of child labour around the world and to prompt action towards abolishing this menace in all its forms.
The theme for this year’s commemoration is “Progress Is Clear, But There’s More to Do: Let’s Speed Up Efforts.”
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade