Ho-Ghana, June 13, GNA – Mr Israel Akrobortu, the Volta Regional Director for the Department of Children, has urged traditional authorities to use their influence to champion the campaign against child labour.
He said traditional authorities were key stakeholders when it comes to the protection of children, a role that the Child and Social Welfare Policy also recognised as critical in ensuring the welfare and safety of the child.
Mr Akrobortu, who was speaking to Ghana News Agency in Ho to mark the 2023 World Day Against Child Labour, further called on religious leaders to use the pulpit to educate their members on the rights of children and the need to end all forms of child labour.
The Director said it was important for all stakeholders to come together to work collaboratively for the betterment of children as they were the future leaders of the country.
He underscored the need for traditional authorities to enact by-laws to promote and protect the rights and welfare of children in their jurisdictions, adding that society must be interested in the upbringing of every child.
Any work that deprived the child from accessing education constituted child labour and victims were at greater risk of poor health, with some suffering from depression, anxiety and cultivating deviant habits such as smoking and drug abuse, he said.
The Director warned that if the situation was not drastically dealt with now, the country would not have qualified future labour force with the requisite skills to propel its socio-economic development as most of the victims would have their education truncated.
Mrs Stella Mawutor, the Volta Regional Director, Department of Social Welfare, said victims of child labour had no opportunity to explore their full potential.
She said children were like plants which had to be watered properly to grow, so every necessary effort must be made in nurturing them so they could realise their full potential.
Mrs Mawutor appealed to parents to invest in their children, giving them the best skills training and education and avoiding their engagement in activities or work that would have a negative effect on their growth and development.
In 2002, the International Labour Organisation launched the first World Day Against Child Labour and the global day is observed on June 12 each year, to raise awareness and highlight the plight of victims of child labour.
The Day also provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to highlight the actions taken and assess advancements towards addressing child labour issues.
The year’s event was on the theme: “Social Justice for All. End Child Labour.”
