General News of Wednesday, 19 March 2003

Source: gna

Plans To Eliminate Child Trafficking

The government through the Ministry of Manpower Development and Employment has signed a memorandum of understanding with International programme for the elimination of child labour (IPEC) to eliminate child labour and child trafficking in the country.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Manpower Development and Employment, Honourable Cecilia Bannerman on the occasion of Anti-Child Trafficking project by African centre for Human Development in Accra today. She said, child trafficking seems to be a recent social problem. She further stated that poverty and poor families in developed countries are some of the major factors, contributing to child trafficking in Ghana. Mrs. Cecilia Bannerman said poor parents have the tendency of giving birth to many children and that has resorted to child trafficking in the country.

The Counsellor, Royal Danish Embassy Charlotte Kanstrup said over the years, the Danish embassy has supported the child Rights Organisation and community based schools. She said Ghana has a well-established legal frame work on child Rights, but the actual implementation and enforcement is lacking.