Andy Tagoe wins 2024 Iqbal Masih award for elimination of child labor

The U.S. Department of Labor has announced that Ghanaian trade unionist Mr. Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe is one of the recipients of the 2024 Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor.

The Iqbal Masih Award recognizes individuals, companies, organizations, or national governments that have made exceptional efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. Presented annually, the award honors champions in the fight against child labor, a serious threat that limits access to education and harms a child’s physical, mental, and social development, especially for girls.

According to UNICEF, there are 160 million children involved in labor globally, with Africa accounting for about 80 million of these cases. In Africa, 72% of child labor occurs in the agricultural sector.

Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee commended Mr. Tagoe, Deputy General Secretary of the General Agricultural Workers Union of the Ghana Trade Union Congress, for his significant role in advancing child and workers’ rights. Tagoe has been a powerful force in Ghana’s efforts to end child labor in agriculture. By organizing and formalizing the agricultural economy in rural areas and collaborating with communities, Tagoe has helped thousands of children transition from child labor to education. His passionate and effective advocacy has created a strong network of anti-child labor champions in Ghana and beyond.

Additionally, the Egyptian civil society organization Wadi El Nil Association was also announced as a recipient of this year's award. For more than two decades, Wadi El Nil Association has been a pivotal force in combating child labor in Egypt’s limestone mining sector. The organization rescues children from hazardous quarries, offering them pathways to education and skills development. By providing microloans to families, the association seeks to break the connection between poverty and the cycle of child labor, helping families achieve economic stability. In recent years, Wadi El Nil has extended additional support to vulnerable families and collaborated with community organizations and volunteers to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on families in need.

“Their unwavering efforts and achievements in the ongoing campaign to eliminate child labor have rescued children from hazardous work and created economic opportunities for families to help break the cycle of child labor in Egypt and Ghana," said Thea Lee.

Established in 2008 by Congress, the Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor is a non-monetary award presented annually by the Secretary of Labor. The award honors its namesake, Iqbal Masih, a Pakistani child sold into slavery at age four to work as a carpet weaver. After escaping at age 10, Masih became an outspoken advocate against child exploitation. Tragically, he was killed in his native Pakistan at the age of 12.