Ghana steps up inter-agency action against child labour and human trafficking

The Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment is stepping up collaboration among law enforcement and other key institutions as part of efforts to strengthen Ghana’s response to child labour and human trafficking.

The initiative, being led by the Labour Department in partnership with International Justice Mission (IJM), has brought together officers from the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Cocoa Board and other relevant institutions for a capacity-building programme on child labour and human trafficking.

The training is aimed at improving participants’ ability to identify cases of exploitation, prevent abuse and respond effectively, while also promoting stronger coordination among institutions involved in protecting children.

Head of the Child Labour Unit of the Labour Department, Esther Ofori Agyemang, said effective enforcement required law enforcement officers to have a proper understanding of the laws governing child labour and human trafficking.

She said it was particularly important for officers to distinguish between legitimate activities that children could undertake and situations that amounted to child labour.

She explained that the law did not classify every activity performed by a child as child labour, noting that some forms of light work could be permitted provided they did not negatively affect a child’s education, health, development or general wellbeing.

She said a clear understanding of these distinctions would help officers apply the law appropriately and ensure that genuine cases of child labour and human trafficking received the necessary attention.

According to her, the inclusion of the Ghana Cocoa Board and other institutions in this year’s programme reflected the Ministry’s efforts to strengthen collaboration among agencies working to address child exploitation.

She disclosed that the Ministry planned to extend the training to other regions to give more law enforcement officers across the country the opportunity to build their capacity in dealing with child labour and human trafficking.

For IJM, the programme forms part of a broader partnership with the Ministry, particularly the Labour Department and its Child Labour Unit.

Government Relations Specialist at IJM, Benjamin Akyen Brentuo, said the organisation remained committed to supporting Ghana’s efforts to strengthen justice systems and protect vulnerable groups, especially children affected by exploitation.

He said IJM had worked with the Child Labour Unit for the past four years in support of Ghana’s National Accelerated Action Plan on Child Labour, with the current training serving as one of the interventions under the plan.

Mr Brentuo said the partnership also covered the preparation of the annual child labour report, monitoring and evaluation activities, as well as activities marking the National Day Against Child Labour.

He further disclosed that IJM was preparing to support a forced labour seminar scheduled for November.

Participants were urged to take the lessons from the programme back to their respective institutions and use them to improve the identification and handling of cases, while strengthening cooperation among agencies to protect children from exploitation, abuse, child labour and human trafficking.