‘We’re not practicing child labour’

Stone crackers at the Capital Hill Stone Quarry in the Nii Okaiman District of Greater Accra region have rubbished the assertion that they are promoting child labour.
Speaking to Today in an interview, they said “when people usually see children working in stone quarries, they tend to conclude that they are promoting child labour.”

But that, according to the stone crackers at Capital Hill, was not the case.

They recounted instances where people had accused them of practicing child labour whiles they did not have any proof.

According to the leader of Discipline and Arbitration Committee of Achimota New Terminal Station, Mr. Nii Ayikoe Armah, who is also a stone cracker, “most of the children here are with their parents.

“They come here in the morning and help with the cracking of stones. I don’t consider this to be child labour because, we determine the kind of work that the children must do” he explained.

“We don’t give them what they can’t do. Also we make sure that as soon their school time is up, we tell them to get ready for school. We don’t keep them away from school because we know education is really important,” Nii Ayikoe Armah stressed.

They noted that if government would not provide for their children as other developed countries do then they should stop talking about child labour.