UNICEF devoted this year's World Day against Child Labour to tackling the core issue that leads to child labour-poverty.
The day which fell on June 12 was under the theme, "Give Girls a Chance: End Child labour".Child labour is referred to as work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children and interferes with their education. Some children in Ghana and Africa have myriads of problems.
They fend for themselves in a hostile atmosphere of poverty and neglect. Whereas some children are deprived the opportunity to attend school, others are obliged to leave school prematurely.
Ghana's comprehensive package of legal framework that protects children includes:The Children's Act 560 of 1998, which defines exploitative labour as any labour which deprives the child of his/her health, education, and/or development. Article 4 of the Labour Law prohibits the use of children in work likely to expose young persons to physical or moral hazards. Article 28 of the 1992 Constitution states that "Every child," "has the right to be protected from engaging in work that constitutes a threat to his/her health, education or development.
A child shall not be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." There is always the sight of children hawking all manner of goods, from ice water to dog chains on major streets. Others engage in various forms of work such as stone breaking, fishing and farming among others.
In rural Ghana, children carry foodstuff for miles to market areas for sale in order to aid their parents and sometimes to educate them in the classroom. Parents neglecting their responsibility towards their children is said to be a major cause of child labour in Ghana.
This is confirmed by a 2003 Ghana Statistical Service's Survey, (GSS) on child labour which states that 91% of working children's parents are both alive.However, activities such as helping parents to care for the home are said not to constitute child labour since they contribute to the child's development and provide him/her with skills, attitudes and experience useful to become a productive member of society.
A recent International Labour Organization (ILO) global report on child labour states that it is the most vulnerable in society who are exploited- including girls, orphans, ethnic and minority groups and street children- all of which together make up the majority of the out-of-school population.
ILO cites selling or trafficking children, forced recruitment of child soldiers, using or offering children for prostitution or the production of pornography, and using, procuring or offering children for illicit activities or any other activities likely to harm children as the worst forms of child labour practices.
Large numbers of young girls labour in agriculture and in the manufacturing sector, frequently working in dangerous conditions. A major sector of employment for young girls is domestic work in households. Around the world, many of the estimated 100 million girls involved in child labour undertake similar types of work as boys, but often also endure additional hardships and face extra risks.
Cultural and socioeconomic factors influence a family's decision to send girls to school. Girls, especially as they reach puberty, may also be limited by other factors such as the safety of the journey to school or the lack of adequate water and sanitation facilities at schools.
Most child rights activists argue that even if there were any short-term economic advantages to be gained, these must be weighed against the loss to a long-term development.To them, the prosperity of Ghana depends critically on the quality of human resources.
Therefore, to tolerate child labour is inconsistent with the massive investment the country is making. Consequently, it is crucial for Ghana to provide children with a decent childhood to prepare them for work which is both productive to society and rewarding.
Improving access to quality education, particularly for girls in poor and rural settings, is a key part of an effective overall approach.In a statement to mark the day, Madam Susan Bissell, UNICEF Chief of Child Protection said, "Education provides a safe environment for children, but when a family has to choose between a boy or a girl attending school, so often the girl loses out."
She added that, "Improving schooling for children from poor communities, ensuring the availability of flexible and properly funded education programmes for child labourers and other marginalized children, and abolishing tuition fees in primary education are ways to address the conditions that can lead to child labour."
Education analyst say that the positive progress made during recent years in boosting access to education and reducing child labour could be derailed by the impact of the current global economic and financial crisis.
While many countries have reached the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education, in many other countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, primary and secondary school attendance rates continue to be low.
The goal of eliminating gender disparity in both primary and secondary education is also far from being met. UNICEF emphasizes that all children - including girls - have a right to an education. Girls with an education are more likely to avoid poverty and ensure that their own children are educated, helping to avoid future child labour.
The venue for the commemoration of the day was Agbogbloshie in Accra, due to the fact that many young girls who should be in school or undergoing vocational training, have found their way into this community and are caught up in various forms of child labour.
These girls are engaged in all kinds of work including porterage of heavy loads, commonly referred to as "kayayei", traditional restaurants attendants, domestic servitude and street hawking among others.
Mr. Stephen Amoanor Kwao, Minister of Employment and Social Welfare in a statement in parliament to commemorate the World Day against Child Labour, announced that his ministry was finalizing a seven-year national plan of action to eliminate all worst forms of child labour in Ghana by 2015.
When finalized and adopted, he said it will provide the necessary focus and drive to eliminate this serious problem from the society in a timely, efficient and sustainable manner.The minister noted that although Ghana has made strides in dealing with the issue of child labour, more need to be done.
He urged all and sundry to join hands to solve the problem.In a report, Mr. Kofi Asare, National Programme Officer of the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) said the Girls Education Unit (GEU) of the Ghana Education Service (GEC) exists to promote the interest of girls in basic schools.
However, he stated the complexities in the challenges to attain gender parity in basic school enrolment, retention and completion, and appreciating that the existing quantity and quality deficits in girls education, is a result of structural deficiencies deeply rooted in policy and practice is vital.
He stressed that it is time for the GEU to wake up and fulfill a moral if not an official duty."Making schools safe for girls requires a concerted effort emphasizing sustainability and practicability."
Mr. Asare deduced the state has a responsibility to create a learning environment conducive not only for boys but also girls. "...Working to removing barriers to quality girls education should not only be seen as a statutory in fulfillment of girls right but a building block to sustainable development".
He stated that educated girls have better opportunities to earn higher wages, participate in community life and decision making and are better informed about health risks that may be relevant to both themselves and their families.
In his opinion, the need for Government and Civil Society to collaborate to safeguard gender interests in basic education is immediate and imminent for Ghana to remain on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goals on education and gender.
This raises the issue of the absence of a comprehensive gender policy in basic education in Ghana.Meanwhile, the United Nation Girls? Education Initiative (UNGEI) has called for policy responses to address the causes of child labour, paying particular attention to the situation of girls.
It called for urgent action to tackle the worst forms of child labour, and greater attention to the education and skills training needs of adolescent girls - a key action point in tackling child labour and providing a pathway for girls to gain decent work as adults.
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