US Congressmen probe child labour on Ghana’s cocoa farms

A delegation from the US Congress is on a three-day visit to the country to monitor efforts by the Ghana government to reduce the worst forms of child labour and slavery on the nation's cocoa farms.

The delegation, led by Senators Thomas Harkin of Iowa and Bernard Sanders of Vermont and the New York State Representative, Elliot Engel, is visiting some cocoa farms in the Western Region.

They would also meet with representatives from partner Non-Governmental Organisations working to reduce and eliminate the worst forms of child labour in the production of cocoa and related activities.

Senator Harkin and Congressman Elliot Engel have been leading a crusade by consumer groups in the United States to pressurize chocolate manufacturers not to utilize cocoa from countries where child labour is prevalent on cocoa farms.

But Congressman Engel told a meeting with government officials that the visit was not a fault-finding one but meant to complement the efforts of the Ghanaian government to combat child slavery and bondage on the cocoa farms.

Meanwhile the Ghana government says it has nothing to fear or hide from the visit by the three US Congressmen.

The advocacy work by the congressmen to reduce forced labour in cocoa, resulted in the signing of a protocol for growing and processing cocoa beans between chocolate manufacturers in the US and La Cote d'Ivoire in September 2001.

Deputy Manpower Minister Frema Osei-Opare says though Ghana was not a signatory to the protocol, government is still committed to working towards achieving the prescriptions of the protocol.

She told Joy News government was not pleased with a purported research work carried out by Tulane University, a US-based university contracted by the US government that sought to portray that forced child labour was prevalent in Ghana.

Mrs Osei-Opare also told Joy News government was not happy with the activities of some NGO working on reducing child labour in the cocoa industry in Ghana.

(Play the attached audio to listen to Frema Osei-Opare)