GHANA- As part of efforts to increases awareness of the fight against Child labour, the European Union delegation in Ghana last Friday organized a sing-along concert to mark the International Day against Child Labour at Alisa Hotel in Accra.
The concert is part of a national awareness campaign on child labour under the Ghana Employment and Social Protection (GESP) Programme funded by the EU.
In her welcome address, Head of the EU Delegation to Ghana, Diana Acconcia reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to end child labour following the resolution by the United Nations for 2021 to be declared the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour. Ambassador Diana Acconcia commended the government for the laws and policies particularly in education that seek to tackle child labour but called for a holistic and systematic approach to deal with the issue because child labour still exists.
The Head of the EU Delegation assured stakeholders and the media that the European Union will support government build stronger labour inspection systems for monitoring and enforcing the child labour laws and also ensure that there is continuous support to local NGOs which work in the most challenging areas where child labour is highly prevalent.
The Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah on his part thanked all stakeholders gathered for their efforts in ensuring that child labour is eliminated. He admitted that the fight is not over and a lot of work must be done to reach the goal of eradicating child labour by 2025. According to Mr. Baffour-Awuah, “we cannot have a better story to tell about our fight against this menace but at least, through activities like tonight’s concert, we are bringing home the issue to people who doubt that child labour exists, that yes, this menace continues to exist within our communities.”
Speaking on behalf of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Mrs. Akua Ofori- Asumadu revealed that 92 million children, comprising of 40 million girls and 52 million boys were involved in child labour in Africa at the beginning of 2020. The ILO representative said that child labour does not preserve the dignity of a child.
Mrs. Ofori-Asumadu reiterated the ILO’s commitment to eliminating child labour and human trafficking stating that at the heart of the organization’s various interventions is decent work. She added that the Covid-19 crisis threats to further erode global progress as an estimated 8.9 million children will be in child labour by the end of 2022. She, therefore, called for stronger partnership from all stakeholders to ensure that Child labour is eliminated.
The youngest performer on the night Tsemi urged parents and stakeholders to allow children to grow up and not miss their childhood because they have to fend for themselves and their families.
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Michael Sa-Ambo is a consummate writer who is passionate about development on the African continent. His area of interest is in current affairs, personal development and communication.
