The Ayensuano District Assembly has vowed to end child labour by strongly kicking against the practice in the area, hence its determination to prosecute parents who engage their children in the menace.
Many children are engaged in hard labour in the rural areas which are mostly farming communities.
According to the United Nations, more than 160 million children, some as young as five, are engaged in child labour across the world.
The International Labour Organisation, (ILO) data further shows that more than one in every four children, aged between five and 17 were engaged in labour that was considered detrimental to their health and development in least developed countries.
In Ghana, there is an average of 21 per cent of children, aged five to 17 involved in child labour, with 14 per cent classified as engaged in hazardous forms of labour.
However, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Ayensuano in the Eastern region, Josephine Awuku Ansah Inkoom has established that the assembly is bent on eradicating the menace by apprehending and prosecuting parents who engage their children, 18 years and below, in hard labour.
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The DCE who was speaking at the World International Day against Child Labour at Ntowkrom, near Kraboa Coatal, cautioned parents against the act.
She revealed child labour is rife in the area hence the assembly’s move to establish a court to deal with the situation.
“Child labor is common in Ayensuano; you go to the market and you see children under 18 selling on behalf of their parents.
“Sometimes you visit schools and find that the classrooms are virtually empty because the children had gone to the farm with the patents,” she restarted.
Josphine Ansah Inkoom expounded that the situation is a threat and the assembly is ready to crack the whip on parents found culpable.
Deputy Employment and Labour Relations Minister, Bright Wereko-Brobbey likewise entreated parents to desist from engaging underaged children in hard labour as it is against the law.
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He underscored the need for parents to prioritise child education instead of abusing their rights.
By Maxwell Otoo|Onua FM|Onuaonline.com
