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INVESTIGATIONS CONDUCTED by the Daily Heritage at the New Juaben Municipal Police barracks located at the heart of the Eastern regional capital, Koforidua, have revealed mass recruitment of under-age children by the wives of the police officers to sell �pure water� on the streets of the municipality. The children aged between 6 and 15 years are mostly school dropouts and truant school children with poor family backgrounds who defy the dangers on the streets to chase money. Some of the children explained to the paper that they are paid on commission basis depending on the number of sachet water they sell daily. One of the children told the reporter that as at 2:30pm yesterday, he had been able to sell three bags of the sachet water and had been given GH�1.50 as commission. He stated that if he works from morning to evening, he sometimes sells six sachets and gets commission of not less than GH� 3.00 a day. When asked if he is in school, he answered in the affirmative and explained that he is on afternoon shift, but was late to school that day. Some of the children are either living with their family members or parents who are aware of the work the children are engaged in, but cited economic hardship as the reason for allowing their wards to sell on the streets. The 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana has spelt out the privileges and rights of Ghanaians, including children. Article 28 clause 1(a) says �Parliament shall enact such law as necessary to ensure that every child has the right to the same measure of special care, assistance and maintenance as is necessary for its development from its natural parents except where those parents have effectively surrendered their rights and responsibilities in respect of the child in accordance with law.� The same article 28 but clause 2 further states that every child has the right to be protected from engaging in work that constitutes a threat to his health, education or development. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), child labour is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and dignity and that is harmful to their physical and mental development. However, in Ghana, the laws are not enforced to the letter due to the excuse of harsh economic conditions. Stephen McClelland, Chief Technical Advisor of the ILO at the media launch of the International Day Against Child Labour in Accra last year disclosed that, research on children in Ghana estimated that 15.5 million children were engaged in both unpaid and paid domestic work exposing them to various health hazards. He cited situations where children are seen on major streets selling just to make ends meet as perfect example to buttress his point. Dr. McClelland further stated that poverty, illiteracy and the increasing demand for cheap and flexible workforce is aggravating child labour menace in the society and called for government�s effort to fight the menace.