The Deputy Country Director, Office of Economic Growth ,USAID, Mr James Lykos, has appealed to parents to resist temptation of allowing children shoulder some of their family’s financial burden.
He said if children are put to work, they are opened to the dangers of life and risk having a gloom future.
Mr Lykos made the appeal when he addressed a durbar of school children and stakeholders to mark the Worlds Day Against Child Labour in Cape Coast.
The day has been set aside by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to be observed worldwide to raise awareness and activism to prevent child labour in all forms.
Speaking on the theme; "Resist child labour, Improve the Safety and Health of Young Workers towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 8", Mr Lykos urged children to get good education and sacrifice a little in the short term, saying “you can earn a lot in the long term as you start your careers.”
He said the National Action Plan for Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour in Ghana recognized the need for special efforts and attention in addressing the underlying problem, poverty.
According to him, there are over 1.2 million child laborers in Ghana and that the largest employers of Child Labor are in the fishing, cocoa and small scale mining sectors.
He added that as Ghana transitions into the "Ghana Beyond Aid" vision that is held by the president Nana Akufo Addo, the U. S government strongly support the vision, and by extension the importance of education and skills development as its cornerstones.
He noted that USAID was forming community child protection committees in 14 fishing communities in the central region to protect children in households that may be vulnerable to child labour and trafficking recruiters.
The Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah called on all stakeholders in the fight against child labour to commit themselves to create a more vigorous and sustained momentum in a battle against the social canker of child labour in the country.
He said employers must be guided about the risk factors that young workers faced on work tasks, while encouraging them to exercise their rights and voice their concerns anytime they were confronted with the menace.
<<Print>>