Mr. Emmanuel Owusu Adjei, the Dormaa West District Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has cautioned cocoa farmers against using their children for exploitative labour in their farms.
He said child labour violated the rights and dignity of children, denied them accessing quality education and exposed them to hazardous work that was inimical to their holistic growth and development.
Mr. Adjei gave the caution when at a forum for cocoa farmers held at Nkrankwanta, a cocoa growing town in the district.
The forum was organised by Global Media Foundation (GloMeF), an anti-corruption and media advocacy non-government organisation (NGO) in line with the implementation of its ‘Rights4Cocoa Project”, being funded by the Unifor.
The project implementation seeks to promote human rights and child protection in cocoa-growing communities through advocacy, community engagement, and awareness creation.
Mr. Adjei said: “The use of children for exploitative work in cocoa farms is not only illegal, but morally wrong as well” adding that “in fact, can’t mortgage the future of our children for our economic gains”.
He called on families, parents, guardians and cocoa farmers to work together to protect and preserve the fundamental human rights of children by giving them the opportunity to thrive.
In a highlight, Madam Hairiya Bala, the Project Coordinator of GLOMEF, explained that the Rights4Cocoa project implementation focused on empowering cocoa-growing communities to understand and uphold the rights and dignity of children, and to create a safer and more just environment for them.
“Child labour remains a critical issue in Ghana’s cocoa sector and so through this project, we aim to raise awareness, promote behavioural change, and strengthen community-based child protection systems,” she stated.
Participants, comprising traditional leaders, cocoa farmers, women’s groups and youth expressed concern about the prevalence of child labour in their respective communities.
According to them, the forum had enlightened them and therefore pledged to go back and impact positively in their respective cocoa growing communities.
As the second world largest cocoa producer, child labour remains a daunting challenge, and a human rights concern in cocoa growing communities, as cocoa farmers continue to engage minor for exploitative and hazardous work in their cocoa farms.
Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, the Chief Executive Officer of GloMeF stressed the foundation’s commitment to help the nation tackle the problem, and called on stakeholders including the government, civil society, and cocoa-buying companies to support.
SOURCCE: ACCESS AGRIC
