Call for effective measures to prevent child labour and trafficking

Members of Parliament on Thursday expressed concern about the increasing number of children been trafficked for labour exploitation and called for its incorporation into the poverty reduction strategies.

They said the trafficked children were engaged in hazardous and exploitative labour including commercial sex work, domestic work, as farm hands, illegal mining, fishing especially in the Volta basin, petty trading and begging.

The members were contributing to a statement made in Parliament by Mrs Angelina Baiden-Amissah, NPP - Shama and Chairperson of the Committee on Gender and Children on the occasion of the "World Day Against Child Labour" that fell on Thursday.

Mrs Baiden-Amissah said trafficking was one of the worst forms of child labour affecting all countries and the day was being used to focus on raising awareness and knowledge of the problem to strengthen the international community's resolve to end it.

She called on the Government, Parliament and the citizenry to take immediate and effective measures to secure the prohibition and elimination of trafficking of boys and girls under 18 years and the establishment of a programme of action to eliminate trafficking of children.

She said government should also establish appropriate mechanisms to monitor the incidence of child trafficking and enact and enforce laws on trafficking that impose penalties on criminals and to ensure access to free basic education.

She said in line with International Labour Organisation (ILO), Worst Forms of Child labour Convention (Number 182) exploitation include forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery or servitude.

Mrs Baiden-Amissah said even though the phenomenon of children being sent from home to stay with others especially relations was not new in Ghana it was now being exploited.

She said the incidence of child trafficking in Ghana and the West Africa Sub-Region was difficult to measure considering the informal and often clandestine nature of the practice but the ILO estimates that about 1.2 million children were trafficked each year into exploitative work.

Mrs Baiden-Amissah said the government through the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs had carried out a number of measures to address the problem of child labour.

They include "Operation Bring Your Child Home" and "Operation End Kayayee" embarked upon by the Ministry of Manpower Development and Employment and efforts by the Child Labour Unit in the sensitisation of District Assemblies.

Mrs Baiden-Amissah said though the initiatives were commendable they needed to be strengthened, broadened and supported through regular budgetary allocations.

Additionally, child labour and trafficking issues must be incorporated into the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy since they had direct bearing on the incidence and recycling of poverty in the country.

Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, NDC- Kumbungu, said there was the need to look at the issues that were detrimental to the child adding that there was very little sensitivity accorded to protecting the child from the dangers of the society.

He said the time had come for a comprehensive national policy framework on combating child labour and also improving on the earning capacity of the family.

Mrs Cecilia Gyan Amoah, NPP- Asutifi South, said some parents in the rural areas often used children as farm hands instead of hiring labourers to work on their farms.

She suggested that parents should be counselled to take care of their children instead of driving them into going for petty trading at tender ages and also the setting up of vocational schools at the district levels to offer employable skills especially for the girls.

Mrs Agnes Sonful, NPP- Amenfi West, said the increase in child labour and trafficking was as a result of the irresponsibility of some men and suggested that a law be made to prosecute such irresponsible men, who abandoned their wives and children.

Mr Victor Gbeho, Ind. Anlo, said he expected that the government would have provided a situation report and measures taken to curtail the rising cases of child labour in the country to mark the day.

He said the underlining causes of child labour was the dire poverty in the society and that until the parent was adequately empowered it would be difficult to reduce the menace.

Mrs Christine Churcher, Minister of State in charge of Girl-Child Education, said the Ministry had received a number of letters from school children requesting its assistance to enable them to trace their fathers and urged such fathers to be more responsible for their children's upkeep.

Alhaji Abukari Sumani, NDC- Choggu-Tishigu, expressed regret that when statements were made with its attendant suggestions and recommendations nothing was done to address the issues.

He said when the rural communities were empowered and the poverty reduction funds were actually channelled through the right sources and in a non-partisan manner it would help to reduce the poverty level and child labour in the society.

Mrs Gifty Eugenia Kusi, NPP- Takwa- Nsuaem, said the issues of child trafficking should not blamed on men only since some women too were irresponsible and allowed themselves to be exploited adding that women could do a lot by preventing unwanted pregnancies.

Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, NDC-Gomoa- West, said society should have the responsibility of guiding the child and that children should not to be left in the streets to fend for themselves.

She said if the family tradition was continued it would go a long way in protecting and moulding the child.

Mrs Benyiwa-Doe said parents had been overburden and that accounted for the high cases of child trafficking and labour and added that if the Poverty Alleviation Fund was disbursed genuinely and not shared on partisan lines a lot could be achieved in saving the child.

Mrs Gladys Asmah, Minister of Women and Children's Affairs, said there were differences between the child engaged in child labour and its efforts at contributing to the development of the home.

She said child trafficking had become a problem because of the apparent poverty in the society over the years and that the Ministry had put in place measures to assist rural communities to improve their livelihood.