Parliamentary Select Committee visits cocoa growing communities

Adinkrakrom (Ash), Oct. 9, GNA - The Parliamentary Select Committee on Employment, Social Welfare and State Enterprises has paid a day's working= visit to Adinkrakrom and Dwease, both cocoa growing communities in the Asante Akim North Municipality.

The visit was to assess progress made in the fight against child lab= our in cocoa under the National Programme for the Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour in Cocoa (NPECLC). Led by its chairman, Mr. Prince Jacob Ahiabor, the committee interac= ted with cocoa farmers to ascertain the veracity of some labour issues that h= ad been brought to its attention.

Mr. Ahiabor who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hohoe Nort= h said it was imperative for cocoa farmers to invest in their children's education. He said exploiting children on cocoa farms at the expense of their education was tantamount to destroying their future and called on stakeholders to help arrest the canker.

He appealed to Child Protection Committees at the Municipal and community levels to double their efforts in the fight against child labou= r and assured them of the committee's support.

Mrs. Frema Osei Opare, a member of the committee, said though a surv= ey conducted by the Ministry of Social Welfare and Employment did not confir= m the alleged widespread of child labour by the international community, th= ere were isolated cases which needed to be addressed. She appealed to Child Protection Committees not to focus only on coc= oa farms but also on all forms of labour that could retard the growth of children and deny them access to education. Mrs Opare said the committee would collaborate with the sector minis= try to resource the municipality to sustain their efforts to eliminate child labour. Nana Owusu Banahene, Chief of Dwease, said the committee's visit wou= ld inspire the community to strive to eliminate child labour, adding that th= e people were gradually accepting the programme. He said he had mandated the Child Protection Committee to summon parents who engage their children in hazardous activities to his palace f= or action to be taken. 0