Nanton (N/R), June 13, GNA - Mr William Anim-Dankwa, the Communications Manager, Christian Children's Fund of Canada (CCFC) has expressed concern about the high numbers of children being used as child labourers the world over.
He said 168 million children were engaged in child labour worldwide of which three per cent were involved in industrial work with 24 to 25 per cent in Agricultural work in Ghana.
Mr Anim-Dankwa said this at the commemoration of the International Day Against Child Labour at Nanton in the Savelugu/Nanton Municipality to highlight the dangers of hazardous work of children.
The programme was jointly organised by child centered NGOs comprising, the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED), CCFC, World Vision International in Ghana (WVG), Action Aid, the Regional Advisory Information and Network Systems (RAINS) and Plan Ghana and supported by the Department of Children and UNICEF.
It was on the theme: 'In conflict and disaster protect children from child labour,' which according to Mr Anim-Dankwa, was appropriate as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has indicated that 1.5 billion people live in conflict, violence and fragility, while 200 million people are affected by disasters every year, a third of whom are children.
He said statistics also indicated that a significant proportion of the 168 million children engaged in child labour lived in areas affected by conflict and disasters.
He said in Ghana, 24.7 per cent of children between the ages of five and 14 work, with 3.7 per cent found in the quarrying and small-scale mining sector.
He said a UNICEF report shows that globally, nearly one in four children (aged five to 14) are engaged in labour which is detrimental to their health and development.
Mr Anim-Dankwa said when parents exploit their children by introducing them early to labour and hazardous work, it robbed them of their childhood and that nurturing them to become better citizens through education has greater benefit.
The Regent of Nanton, Naa Mohammed Sulley, said parents should not see expenses on their children's education as waste but rather investment for the future.
Mr Felix Afeti, Cluster Manager of World Vision, said it was very important for parents to ensure that children were given the right direction to attain their goals instead of the immediate benefit they got when they exploited them.
GNA
By Rosemary Wayo, GNA
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