Children to be saved from child labour

Tamale, Aug. 22, GNA - About 14,000 children involved in child labour have been targeted to be withdrawn from exploitative and hazardous work, through the provision of educational services to them.

Some 5,000 of them would be withdrawn from work while 9,000 would be prevented from being engaged in child labour. This information was contained in an address delivered by Mr. Samuel A.Afram, an officer of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) at a workshop on the elimination of child labour.

The International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) organized the forum in collaboration with the Ministries of Local Government and Rural Development and Manpower Development, Youth and Employment with support from the (ILO), in Tamale on Monday. The workshop, which was a district consultative meeting, drew participants from the three Northern Regions.

Mr Afram said 2,500 families in the various communities had been targeted to benefit from income generation activities and the training in community organizations, information and orientation on child labour issues.

He mentioned that children above 15 years would also receive information on hazardous child labour to improve on their working conditions.

Mr Afram appealed to District Assemblies to mainstream child labour issues in the disbursement of their Common Fund. Madam Stella Ofori, of the Child Labour Unit (CLU) briefed the participants on the causes of child labour and urged parents not to expose their children to hazardous work because of money.