The 12th of June every year is observed as the International Child Labour Day. The day is set aside to commemorate and raise awareness of the plight of children globally. This provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to highlight the actions taken to tackle child labour and address the root causes as response to child labour issues. The global theme for this year’s event is “2021 International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour.” And in the case of Ghana, the National Steering Committee on Child Labour (NSCCL) has agreed to domesticate it to read “Take Stock, Honour Our Pledge, Stop Child Labour in Ghana Now.” In respect of this, a sensitization program on Child Labour was done on the 12th of June 2021,at Fawe FM Station (105. 9) Fotobi , to create awareness on the causes, effect and preventions of child labour.
During the radio program, the Municipal Head of Social Welfare and Community Development, Madam Christiana Tamakloe, in an interview by the host, referred to child labour as any work that has been prohibited for children either because of their age or because of the nature of the task involved. Activities like child slavery, trafficking of children, and child prostitution among others are all forms of child labour. She educated parents and guardians on child labour issues and the right of the child and their responsibilities as well as domestic violence and especially all forms of violence against children. According to the Municipal Head, the underlying causes of child labour cannot be underestimated and the causes includes poverty, limited access to decent work opportunities for families, ignorance, lack of access to quality education, irresponsible parenting among others. They were advised to desist in engaging children in tedious work but rather send them to school and engage them in house chores that are suitable for their age. She advised listeners to call the toll free numbers 0800800800 / 0900800800 or send a free SMS to 8020, or the Social Welfare & Community Development office line 0302986877 to report issues pertaining to child labour, domestic violence and gender based violence. Listeners who called-in questions were duly answered.
