Mr Robertson Kwadwo Ahanu, the Assembly Member for the Maabang Electoral Area in the Ahafo-Ano North Municipality of the Ashanti Region has called on the government to tackle the persistent problem of child labour and exploitation in cocoa growing communities, nationwide.
He said the nation could tackle the menace proactively through more realistic interventions, worrying that children in the cocoa growing communities did not only threaten the cocoa sector, however denied children access to quality education and weak social protection.
Mr Ahanu made the call when the Global Media Foundation (GloMeF), a human rights and media advocacy Non-Governmental Organisation presented some educational materials to some vulnerable children at Maabang, a cocoa growing community.
GloMeF under its “Rights4Cocoa Project” being funded by the Unifor Social Justice Fund, Canada presented the school bags and some learning materials to the beneficiaries of the Maabang Presbyterian Primary and Junior High School.
Mr Ahanu expressed the worry that child labour remained persistent in many cocoa growing areas despite some interventions by the government and her development partners.
“Child labour is not just a violation of children’s rights; it’s a development failure that continues to affect our cocoa sector.
Government and stakeholders must move beyond commitments to implementing more effective, community-driven strategies that address the root causes of the problem”, he advised.
According to recent statistics from the UNICEF and the International Labour Organization (ILO), approximately 21 percent of children between five years and 15 years in Ghana were engaged in forms of child labour with majority of them involved in hazardous agricultural activities with cocoa growing communities having higher cases.
Mr Ahanu said through multi-stakeholder initiatives like child labour monitoring systems, certification schemes, and sensitization programmes had contributed to some progress in tackling the menace, “results have been uneven and insufficient to eliminate the child labour”.
He cited that in communities like Maabang, poverty and lack of support for vulnerable households forced children into farm work in the detriment of their education, saying that was why interventions ought to focus on household livelihoods, access to education, and community ownership of child protection efforts.
In a highlight, Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the GloMeF explained that the Rights4Cocoa Project sought to promote child rights, decent work, and accountability in cocoa-growing communities.
He said that was done through intensified advocacy, community engagements, and support for vulnerable children and called for a concerted approach towards tackling child labour and exploitation in the country.
Mr Ahenu said the nation ought to strengthen local child protection systems by ensuring that the rights and dignity of children were protected, while bridging the gap between the rich, rural and urban communities in accessing quality education.
Mr James Boateng, the Headteacher of the Maabang Presbyterian Junior High School thanked the NGO for the support, saying the donation would greatly enhance teaching and learning.
SOURCE : GNA ONLINE
