Committee on child labour in cocoa growing areas inaugurated at Agona Swedru
Agona Swedru, May 8, GNA - An 11-member committee has been inaugurated to work under the Agona West Municipal Programme for the Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour in Cocoa Growing Areas.
The Committee, under the Chairmanship of Mr Eric Bediako Oppong, Agona West Municipal Coordinating Director, has five main objectives to be implemented in the 10 selected cocoa growing areas in Agona West.
It would seek to improve the knowledge base, occupational safety, health of the children of school going-age and access to basic education for the children to eliminate child labour.
In an address, Mr Oppong said child labour was a phenomenon in the Ghanaian society which constituted suffering, exploitation and abuse of the rights of children and resulted in poor health, education deprivation and social disadvantages.
He noted that every nation's assets were its children so it was imperative to develop mechanisms towards their protection and enhancement of their wellbeing.
Mr. Oppong said it was against this background that the Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment initiated the programme for cocoa growing communities, including the Agona West Municipal Assembly.
He said the committee has been designed to involve all relevant stakeholders to fight, prevent and monitor all kinds of child labour issues, particularly the cocoa sector.
Mr. Oppong expressed the hope that members of the committee would work hard to improve the lives of those who become victims so that they could contribute their quota to towards nation building.
Mrs. Monica Siaw, Agona West Municipal Officer of the Department of Social Welfare, said farmers and opinion leaders in the 10 selected communities had been sensitized and educated about the dangers of child labour.
She stated that each community would be given a bicycle to be used to monitor the children who had become victims, adding that durbars, radio talk shows, drama and workshops would be organized for the parents in the selected communities.
Mrs. Siaw pointed out that children in the cocoa growing sector would be given school uniforms, books and other teaching materials to facilitate their studies.
She called on the chiefs in the cocoa growing areas to enact bye-laws to check the cruel and inhuman treatment being meted out to these innocent children.