<<Print>>

Mr Emmanuel Kwame Mensah, a Child Rights Activist, on Thursday called for a sustained and mobilized force against child labour and trafficking. He said about 20 per cent of Ghanaian children, or in other words one out of every five children, end up as a child labourer, and described the situation as worrying. Mr Mensah therefore urged Ghanaians to be concerned with the issues of child labour and make efforts to reduce and eventually stop the practice. He made the call at a forum organized by the Zonta Club, Accra, an international women's organization that helps to improve the status of women. The forum was organized as part of activities to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the organization. Referring to child labour as a crime, Mr Mensah said "the act was not a foreign concept handed down to us, but rather it was our culture and a way of life and it is important that all Ghanaians get on board to reduce the incidence." Defining child labour as a child used as a victim of economic exploitation, he urged parents and guardians to distinguish between child work and child labour, saying "there is a clear distinction between child work and child labour'. For example, he said a child who is sent by the parent to get water from the fridge could not be described as a labourer. Mr Kwakye Ayeh, Senior Labour Officer at the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, said poverty accounted for about 90 per cent of the reasons why children are engaged in child labour. He said child labour promoted high crime rate and created a large pool of illiterate citizens which further resulted in sustaining the poverty cycle. Mr Ayeh indicated that education was the right response to child labour. Mrs Emelia Adjepong, Accra Zonta Club President, said her organization had put up a four-bedroom house ready for use by victims of domestic violence, and said the house would be handed to the Department of Social welfare. Mrs Gifty Ohene Konadu, Member of Parliament for Ashanti Akyem, commended the Club for drawing attention to issues of child labour. She called for collaboration between government, Civil Society Organizations, Non Governmental Organizations and individuals to help find a sustainable solution to issues on child labour.