A teachers’ grouping, Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT), has taken issue with a development regarding the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS).
The anomalous development, according to the grouping, is contained in a document said to emanate from the Secretariat of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), adding that in view of the poor management of the SSSS by their representatives, they should resign forthwith from their positions.
“We are giving GNAT leadership, especially the General Secretary, Madam Irene Duncan Adenusa, the National President, Paul Apanga, and the Deputy General Secretary in charge of labour relations, Mr. Awotwe Nkansah, one week to resign honourably.”
Giving grounds for the call at a press conference in Accra, spokesperson for the President of CCT, Ernest Opoku, said that the current leadership of GNAT had performed abysmally, adding that their actions and inactions before and after the implementation of the SSSS gave grounds to call for their resignation.
Opoku further observed that the leadership of GNAT was superintending over a constitution full of undemocratic provisions, under which “they seek to protect their own selfish interests to the detriment of the members, especially article 32 and 44 of GNAT constitution”.
He elaborated that “CCT has come to the realization that their continuous stay in office by GNAT executives means teachers will not get anything good in terms of remuneration, using the SSSS negotiation as a yardstick.”
The group however cautioned government not to be deceived by the call for GNAT executives to resign, but rather to be on the lookout as “we are telling government through the National Labour Commission that the CCT is waiting patiently to be called to justify the proposal we sent to them.”
The spokesperson was also quick to note that the group had, through their struggle, made some achievements.
“National Labour Commission has tasked Ghana Education Service to work on all promotions locked up for years; they also tasked fair wages commission to remove the tax component on the retention premium by the end of June 2011,” he noted.
He added, “With one voice, one spirit and one united front, the better conditions of service for teachers, now or never slogan, is achievable”, he reiterated.
Monday, June 27, 2011
China Medical Team Supports Korle-Bu
MEMBERS OF a Chinese medical team undertaking a clinical exchange programme at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) have donated some medical equipment to the hospital.
The items worth $134,166 include a testing machine, monitors, spina and general surgery instrument, foreign body forceps, nephroscope, syringe, infusion and medical injection pumps and a pneumatic stock type.
Professor Wei Jian Rui, a cardiologist and the team’s leader, said the donation was meant to meet the medical requirements for treatment of patients at the hospital.
He added that through their work at the hospital, the team identified the lack of certain instruments hence the donation by the Chinese government.
He therefore urged the KBTH Neurological Department to transfer and install the equipments as quickly as possible saying “I know there are people waiting for their cases to be treated.”
Chinese Counselor to Ghana, Gao Wenzhi, who presented the items on behalf of the team, noted that without good health, people will not be strong and contribute to the prosperity of the nation.
He also observed that at the recent Beijing Summit, the Chinese government as part of its support, dispatched groups of medical teams to Africa and that Ghana is one of the beneficiary countries.
“The team consists of medical experts of high medical qualifications who have worked together with other doctors in Korle-Bu for a year and a half.”
He therefore hoped that the instruments will strengthen the medical capabilities of the hospital as health care improves.
“I hope that KBTH will play bigger roles in medical services for patients not only in Ghana but also in West Africa,” he added.
The Board Chairman of KBTH, Professor Seth Aryeetey, on behalf of the government, thanked the team for their donation.
He said Ghana’s relationship with China had grown into a fruitful one elaborating that the benefits to be derived from the donation was worth more than the money spent on it.
“It is going to translate into helping the men, women and children who will be treated so that they can become strong and productive citizens of Ghana,” he noted.
The Chief Executive Officer of KBTH, Professor Nii Otu Nartey who was touched by the presentation, expressed his gratitude to the Chinese government for the donation.
He said, “They have took notice of our plight and challenges and have brought these things. This is going to improve significantly on the kind of work we do here.”
He charged others to emulate the example of the Chinese medical team adding, “If other groups follow, then we can significantly solve the problems of KBTH.”
The items worth $134,166 include a testing machine, monitors, spina and general surgery instrument, foreign body forceps, nephroscope, syringe, infusion and medical injection pumps and a pneumatic stock type.
Professor Wei Jian Rui, a cardiologist and the team’s leader, said the donation was meant to meet the medical requirements for treatment of patients at the hospital.
He added that through their work at the hospital, the team identified the lack of certain instruments hence the donation by the Chinese government.
He therefore urged the KBTH Neurological Department to transfer and install the equipments as quickly as possible saying “I know there are people waiting for their cases to be treated.”
Chinese Counselor to Ghana, Gao Wenzhi, who presented the items on behalf of the team, noted that without good health, people will not be strong and contribute to the prosperity of the nation.
He also observed that at the recent Beijing Summit, the Chinese government as part of its support, dispatched groups of medical teams to Africa and that Ghana is one of the beneficiary countries.
“The team consists of medical experts of high medical qualifications who have worked together with other doctors in Korle-Bu for a year and a half.”
He therefore hoped that the instruments will strengthen the medical capabilities of the hospital as health care improves.
“I hope that KBTH will play bigger roles in medical services for patients not only in Ghana but also in West Africa,” he added.
The Board Chairman of KBTH, Professor Seth Aryeetey, on behalf of the government, thanked the team for their donation.
He said Ghana’s relationship with China had grown into a fruitful one elaborating that the benefits to be derived from the donation was worth more than the money spent on it.
“It is going to translate into helping the men, women and children who will be treated so that they can become strong and productive citizens of Ghana,” he noted.
The Chief Executive Officer of KBTH, Professor Nii Otu Nartey who was touched by the presentation, expressed his gratitude to the Chinese government for the donation.
He said, “They have took notice of our plight and challenges and have brought these things. This is going to improve significantly on the kind of work we do here.”
He charged others to emulate the example of the Chinese medical team adding, “If other groups follow, then we can significantly solve the problems of KBTH.”
NHIS Law under review
THE CHIEF Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Sylvester Mensah, has observed that there will soon be a law to allow the scheme to operate as an independent legal entity with regards to accountability and efficiency.
“The law under review has been gazetted and submitted to parliament,” he added.
Addressing a delegation from Congo Brazzaville, the CEO admitted that the scheme had gone through some challenges. “We don’t have a perfect system but what is good is that we have a good political system,” he said.
He explained that the system is facing expenditure challenges as the outflows are exceeding inflows, adding that claim payments account for more than 75 per cent of total income generated from taxes and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).
“GH¢394.27 million representing 76.2 per cent was used as payments of claims for the year 2010,” he noted.
He noted that the insurance covers up to 95% of health related issues in the country but cautioned the Congolese government not to go that far as that country is new in that area.
Mr. Mensah also observed that the scheme is undertaking some strategies in order to ensure universal health care coverage for all Ghanaians.
“With the consolidated premium account as well as the claims processing center that the scheme has created, all premiums collected is now managed at the district level,” he said.
Mr. Mensah stated that the system currently operates on three schemes: district mutual scheme, private mutual scheme and private commercial scheme, adding that the objective of the service is securing the provision of basic healthcare services to persons resident in Ghana.
He was hopeful that there will soon be a time when foreigners will have to provide health insurance coverage before being accepted into the country.
The delegation lead by Sinibagoy Nollet Bayi, lauded the Ghanaian authorities for sustaining the system and also being able to achieve such a height in the health sector adding that this informed the team’s visit.
“We have come as a result of the fact that the Congolese government is putting up health insurance for all and because Ghana has been in it since 2003, we have come to know how it is faring with regards to challenges and satisfaction.”
He also commended the NHIS for a good relationship between the various intuitions operating under it.
Commenting on the one-time premium payment, Mr. Mensah said that although it will face challenges, it will help generate stock that can go into investment. “We have conducted a consumer survey and it has shown that people are willing to join the one time premium system,” he said
“The law under review has been gazetted and submitted to parliament,” he added.
Addressing a delegation from Congo Brazzaville, the CEO admitted that the scheme had gone through some challenges. “We don’t have a perfect system but what is good is that we have a good political system,” he said.
He explained that the system is facing expenditure challenges as the outflows are exceeding inflows, adding that claim payments account for more than 75 per cent of total income generated from taxes and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).
“GH¢394.27 million representing 76.2 per cent was used as payments of claims for the year 2010,” he noted.
He noted that the insurance covers up to 95% of health related issues in the country but cautioned the Congolese government not to go that far as that country is new in that area.
Mr. Mensah also observed that the scheme is undertaking some strategies in order to ensure universal health care coverage for all Ghanaians.
“With the consolidated premium account as well as the claims processing center that the scheme has created, all premiums collected is now managed at the district level,” he said.
Mr. Mensah stated that the system currently operates on three schemes: district mutual scheme, private mutual scheme and private commercial scheme, adding that the objective of the service is securing the provision of basic healthcare services to persons resident in Ghana.
He was hopeful that there will soon be a time when foreigners will have to provide health insurance coverage before being accepted into the country.
The delegation lead by Sinibagoy Nollet Bayi, lauded the Ghanaian authorities for sustaining the system and also being able to achieve such a height in the health sector adding that this informed the team’s visit.
“We have come as a result of the fact that the Congolese government is putting up health insurance for all and because Ghana has been in it since 2003, we have come to know how it is faring with regards to challenges and satisfaction.”
He also commended the NHIS for a good relationship between the various intuitions operating under it.
Commenting on the one-time premium payment, Mr. Mensah said that although it will face challenges, it will help generate stock that can go into investment. “We have conducted a consumer survey and it has shown that people are willing to join the one time premium system,” he said
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Google Rewards School Kids
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri
Google Ghana has announced ten year-old Nil Carreras Del Peso and twelve year-old Nana Abena Asabea Ametepe as winners of the second edition of the Doodle for Google competition in Accra.
Nil Carreras Del Peso from the French received a kindle for winning the 9-11 age group competition while Nana Abena Asabea Ametepe from the Golden Age School received a laptop as her prize for wining the 12-14 age group.
The winners will also have their doodles on the home page of Google Ghana on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th June respectively for the whole day.
The schools of the winners were also rewarded with a USD 2000 technology grant each.
The winners beating off strong competition in their respective age categories designed doodles around the Google logo based on the theme, “My Ghana” with supporting statement explaining their design choice.
The doodles were judged by a panel of judges who selected the finalist based on artistic merit, creativity and the representation of this year’s theme.
Commenting on the competition, Estelle Akofio-sowah one of the judges and Google Ghana Country lead said that this year’s competition received a record number of entries, “a record 133% increase on last year.”
She elaborates, ‘the fact that we received more than double the number of entries from last year’s competition, demonstrates that children when encouraged are willing and able to rise to the challenge.”
She further explained that the standard of entries was outstanding as it clearly showed a huge amount of pride and excitement among the young people in Ghana.
The future of Ghana in the hands of these young people is clearly bright”, she affirmed.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri
Google Ghana has announced ten year-old Nil Carreras Del Peso and twelve year-old Nana Abena Asabea Ametepe as winners of the second edition of the Doodle for Google competition in Accra.
Nil Carreras Del Peso from the French received a kindle for winning the 9-11 age group competition while Nana Abena Asabea Ametepe from the Golden Age School received a laptop as her prize for wining the 12-14 age group.
The winners will also have their doodles on the home page of Google Ghana on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th June respectively for the whole day.
The schools of the winners were also rewarded with a USD 2000 technology grant each.
The winners beating off strong competition in their respective age categories designed doodles around the Google logo based on the theme, “My Ghana” with supporting statement explaining their design choice.
The doodles were judged by a panel of judges who selected the finalist based on artistic merit, creativity and the representation of this year’s theme.
Commenting on the competition, Estelle Akofio-sowah one of the judges and Google Ghana Country lead said that this year’s competition received a record number of entries, “a record 133% increase on last year.”
She elaborates, ‘the fact that we received more than double the number of entries from last year’s competition, demonstrates that children when encouraged are willing and able to rise to the challenge.”
She further explained that the standard of entries was outstanding as it clearly showed a huge amount of pride and excitement among the young people in Ghana.
The future of Ghana in the hands of these young people is clearly bright”, she affirmed.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
The Invisible Army
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri and Atkilt Geleta
An army is growing in Ghana today, and though invisible, is larger than any other force and more pervasive.
Instead of guns and ammo, it is armed with weapons of farming tools, shoe-shine boxes, fishing nets, sledge hammers, “go-to-hells” and head pans.
These unseen soldiers form the army of child laborers in Ghana, and they are growing.
Soldiers of this army use their weapons to fight for themselves and their families. They go to the battle fields as early as dawn and return late at night often tired, exhausted, worn out and even hurt and bruised from the day’s battle.
Children are deprived of their basic rights as human beings and are subjected to activities that are detrimental to their health and well being. Their engagement dispossesses them from the opportunity of experiencing a normal life and developing as a child.
Esther Kutorkor Kotey, an eleven year old child labourer at Chorkor, a suburb of Accra, says she doesn’t go to school because the family can’t afford it. She spends her days at the beach helping the fishermen haul fish in order to get money for food.
“When I am hungry I carry the fish of the fish mongers to the road side to get money for food” she says “At times I go and cry for my mother to give me money when I am hungry.”
Children are involved in labour in different sectors – mining, quarrying, farming, cocoa, fishing, domestic servitude and street vending.
A recent report by the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare clearly indicated that almost 10 per cent of the child population in Ghana is engaged in child labour.
With 54 per cent of Ghana’s entire population of 24 million being children, that is a considerably high figure.
“The problem seems to be quite huge, in terms of the number of children who are engaged in illegal work” says Bright Appiah, Executive Director of Child’s Rights International, one of the prominent children’s rights organizations in Ghana.
Children carry out domestic chores assigned to them by their parents or guardians as a way of training and integrating them into the society’s norms and culture. Nevertheless, some children go beyond these tasks of integration to undergo work that is suited for older people.
In the fishing community of Chorkor, young Kutorkor Kotey engages in unsuitable work for a child. “I go and help the fishermen to pull the net from the sea” she says, “I sit and help with the rope as the fishermen pull the net from the water.”
According to the ILO, the majority of children in child labour come from large, poorly educated families of more than five children living in rural areas with little to no access to basic amenities such as schools and hospitals.
These activities are an affront to the fundamental human rights of children and a serious threat to the socio-economic development of the country. It deprives them of the right to develop and experience the joy of being educated.
CAUSES AND CONCEQUENCES
There are difference factors contributing to the prevalence of child labour in Ghana.
They can be traced to rooted traditional beliefs, cultural practices, customs, economic conditions, increasing break-up of traditional family structures and the death of a parent.
According to Festus Longmatey, Field Coordinator at Child’s Rights International, poverty is the underlining factor.
“If they have the means to employ labour, they wouldn’t use their children” he says, “because the means are not there, they are forced to use their kids. It all boils down to poverty.”
Madam Elizabeth Danquah, Executive Director of Parent & Child foundation, an organization responsible for the implementation of International Labour Organization (ILO) activities to eradicate the use of child laborers in the Volta region, feels that the lack of parental care and social amenities are the major causes of child labour in the country.
“Parents of children involved in child labour have the belief that the act is to help integrate the children into the community and make them independent in future” she says.
Nii Kukrudu II, Chief Fisherman at Chorkor said it is the tradition of the area to train the first son in the trade of their father. Fishermen train their children how to fish so they can one day take over from their parents. “When the children are 10 years we start to train and teach them how to fish” he says, “some times they go to school and fish on weekends.”
These children sometimes skip school to accompany their parents to their work sites.
One of the principal causes is the traditional perception about who children are and who owns them.
“People believe that children are their property”, says Appiah of Child’s Rights. “Parents tend to look at their children from that angle, without granting them their fundamental human rights.”
Some cultural practices such as higher income families hiring children from poor families place children in an environment where they are vulnerable to exploitation. Families do this without considering the consequences or considering the price to be paid in the future.
Children perform domestic duties, working long hours and sometimes suffering abuse at the hands of their employers. They earn a small amount of money for food and other services, such as accommodation and clothing.
One of the gravest abuses against children is neglect. Many children fall through social safety nets which fail to provide the necessary care and services, and children find themselves in some form of labour to support themselves and their families.
In Chorkor, Kutorkor has to find ways to manage when she doesn’t receive care from her parents. “ I told my daddy to take me to school, but he told me to shut up. When I got to class one my mother asked me to stop.”
They engage in economic activity and become innovative and entrepreneurial to support their own well being.
Farming families are often poor and therefore use the children as laborers to cut down cost of hiring older people to do the work.
Other children are sometimes taken from their families by business people and transported from rural areas to urban centers with the assurance of being educated and catered for.
They get to their various destinations to work under conditions that are harmful to their health and well-being.
It has also been observed that some parents give away their children out of greed and self-fulfillment.
“Parents think that it is the responsibility of the children to help them” says Longmatey of Child Rights, “Most of the parents are not really educated or sensitized.”
Madam Danquah added that some parents are accustomed to certain traditions which are very difficult to change.
“A lot of children look after themselves even though they have parents” says Danquah, “These children go to the market places to find a few Cedis for themselves” she said.
They send their children during school hours to hawk on the streets and work in order to afford a better standard of living for the whole family.
FAILURES
The government of Ghana has lent its support to the International Conventions and Declarations on the Elimination of (the Worst Forms of) Child Labour and the Rights of the Child. The country faces a huge challenge of meeting its national plan of action for achieve the goals of the Convention.
There is inefficiency in the traditional system in terms of responding to the social demands of children. Customarily if a child is orphaned due to death of a parent or other circumstances, the next of kin assumes responsibility for the child. However, because of the breakdown of these traditional structures, many children are left without a guardian or proper care.
The Children’s Act, drafted in 1998, enshrines the basic rights of children and the responsibilities of duty bearers. However, government has failed to fully enforcing this Act and other international child related conventions it has signed.
Bright Appiah adds, “The breakdown of the social structure and the failure of government to strengthen the child protection system, to be able to care for people who fall [through the cracks], contributes to the prevalence of child labour in Ghana. It’s both ways.”
The right of children is often seen as an alien culture.
“The society is not fully embracing that children have rights” says Appiah, “people feel that we are training children to become deviants and to resist traditional structures.”
The media, which has a crucial responsibility in educating the public, has been unsuccessful in covering children’s issues and human rights content in general. Human rights issues are generally seen as not being attractive enough to readers.
“Though there are some instances where you see the media reporting issues about children” says Appiah, “When you study and watch the trend of discussions, it’s more of the political issues that get coverage rather than looking at the social issues that affect children.”
The humanitarian community in general has grievances about the way human rights are reported, often stating that issues are only superficially glanced over or that the coverage is often aligned with a political motive.
Appiah adds “The information and the necessary steps you have to take in terms of reporting on children has not been the best.”
INTERVENTIONS
According to article 28 of the 1992 constitution of Ghana, “Every child has the right to be protected from engaging in work that constitutes a threat to his or her health, education or development.”
The law also sets a minimum employment age of 15 years and prohibits night work and certain types of hazardous labor for those less than 18 years of age. It levies fines and sentences violators to prison.
Since Ghana ratified ILO convention on the worst forms of Child Labour (ILO Convention 182) in 2000, the country has been making strenuous efforts to address the issue. There is a national policy on child labour and cabinet has endorsed a national plan of action (NPA) for the elimination of worst forms of child labour.
Ghana has partnered with various organizations both locally and internationally, such as the ILO and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), to help curb the cancer of child labour.
Francesco d’Ovidio, Chief Technical Advisor of ILO, said their organization has partnered with others like the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) and the Ghana Journalist’s Association (GJA) to help reduce the prevalence of child labour.
Recently, the government introduced a full program to examine how to eliminate the use of child labour in the cocoa sector.
“That is only one sector” says Appiah, “but this is bold in terms of formulating policy and addressing the problem. It sends out the signal that we are all recognizing the fact that child labour is an issue that we will have to address.”
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri and Atkilt Geleta
An army is growing in Ghana today, and though invisible, is larger than any other force and more pervasive.
Instead of guns and ammo, it is armed with weapons of farming tools, shoe-shine boxes, fishing nets, sledge hammers, “go-to-hells” and head pans.
These unseen soldiers form the army of child laborers in Ghana, and they are growing.
Soldiers of this army use their weapons to fight for themselves and their families. They go to the battle fields as early as dawn and return late at night often tired, exhausted, worn out and even hurt and bruised from the day’s battle.
Children are deprived of their basic rights as human beings and are subjected to activities that are detrimental to their health and well being. Their engagement dispossesses them from the opportunity of experiencing a normal life and developing as a child.
Esther Kutorkor Kotey, an eleven year old child labourer at Chorkor, a suburb of Accra, says she doesn’t go to school because the family can’t afford it. She spends her days at the beach helping the fishermen haul fish in order to get money for food.
“When I am hungry I carry the fish of the fish mongers to the road side to get money for food” she says “At times I go and cry for my mother to give me money when I am hungry.”
Children are involved in labour in different sectors – mining, quarrying, farming, cocoa, fishing, domestic servitude and street vending.
A recent report by the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare clearly indicated that almost 10 per cent of the child population in Ghana is engaged in child labour.
With 54 per cent of Ghana’s entire population of 24 million being children, that is a considerably high figure.
“The problem seems to be quite huge, in terms of the number of children who are engaged in illegal work” says Bright Appiah, Executive Director of Child’s Rights International, one of the prominent children’s rights organizations in Ghana.
Children carry out domestic chores assigned to them by their parents or guardians as a way of training and integrating them into the society’s norms and culture. Nevertheless, some children go beyond these tasks of integration to undergo work that is suited for older people.
In the fishing community of Chorkor, young Kutorkor Kotey engages in unsuitable work for a child. “I go and help the fishermen to pull the net from the sea” she says, “I sit and help with the rope as the fishermen pull the net from the water.”
According to the ILO, the majority of children in child labour come from large, poorly educated families of more than five children living in rural areas with little to no access to basic amenities such as schools and hospitals.
These activities are an affront to the fundamental human rights of children and a serious threat to the socio-economic development of the country. It deprives them of the right to develop and experience the joy of being educated.
CAUSES AND CONCEQUENCES
There are difference factors contributing to the prevalence of child labour in Ghana.
They can be traced to rooted traditional beliefs, cultural practices, customs, economic conditions, increasing break-up of traditional family structures and the death of a parent.
According to Festus Longmatey, Field Coordinator at Child’s Rights International, poverty is the underlining factor.
“If they have the means to employ labour, they wouldn’t use their children” he says, “because the means are not there, they are forced to use their kids. It all boils down to poverty.”
Madam Elizabeth Danquah, Executive Director of Parent & Child foundation, an organization responsible for the implementation of International Labour Organization (ILO) activities to eradicate the use of child laborers in the Volta region, feels that the lack of parental care and social amenities are the major causes of child labour in the country.
“Parents of children involved in child labour have the belief that the act is to help integrate the children into the community and make them independent in future” she says.
Nii Kukrudu II, Chief Fisherman at Chorkor said it is the tradition of the area to train the first son in the trade of their father. Fishermen train their children how to fish so they can one day take over from their parents. “When the children are 10 years we start to train and teach them how to fish” he says, “some times they go to school and fish on weekends.”
These children sometimes skip school to accompany their parents to their work sites.
One of the principal causes is the traditional perception about who children are and who owns them.
“People believe that children are their property”, says Appiah of Child’s Rights. “Parents tend to look at their children from that angle, without granting them their fundamental human rights.”
Some cultural practices such as higher income families hiring children from poor families place children in an environment where they are vulnerable to exploitation. Families do this without considering the consequences or considering the price to be paid in the future.
Children perform domestic duties, working long hours and sometimes suffering abuse at the hands of their employers. They earn a small amount of money for food and other services, such as accommodation and clothing.
One of the gravest abuses against children is neglect. Many children fall through social safety nets which fail to provide the necessary care and services, and children find themselves in some form of labour to support themselves and their families.
In Chorkor, Kutorkor has to find ways to manage when she doesn’t receive care from her parents. “ I told my daddy to take me to school, but he told me to shut up. When I got to class one my mother asked me to stop.”
They engage in economic activity and become innovative and entrepreneurial to support their own well being.
Farming families are often poor and therefore use the children as laborers to cut down cost of hiring older people to do the work.
Other children are sometimes taken from their families by business people and transported from rural areas to urban centers with the assurance of being educated and catered for.
They get to their various destinations to work under conditions that are harmful to their health and well-being.
It has also been observed that some parents give away their children out of greed and self-fulfillment.
“Parents think that it is the responsibility of the children to help them” says Longmatey of Child Rights, “Most of the parents are not really educated or sensitized.”
Madam Danquah added that some parents are accustomed to certain traditions which are very difficult to change.
“A lot of children look after themselves even though they have parents” says Danquah, “These children go to the market places to find a few Cedis for themselves” she said.
They send their children during school hours to hawk on the streets and work in order to afford a better standard of living for the whole family.
FAILURES
The government of Ghana has lent its support to the International Conventions and Declarations on the Elimination of (the Worst Forms of) Child Labour and the Rights of the Child. The country faces a huge challenge of meeting its national plan of action for achieve the goals of the Convention.
There is inefficiency in the traditional system in terms of responding to the social demands of children. Customarily if a child is orphaned due to death of a parent or other circumstances, the next of kin assumes responsibility for the child. However, because of the breakdown of these traditional structures, many children are left without a guardian or proper care.
The Children’s Act, drafted in 1998, enshrines the basic rights of children and the responsibilities of duty bearers. However, government has failed to fully enforcing this Act and other international child related conventions it has signed.
Bright Appiah adds, “The breakdown of the social structure and the failure of government to strengthen the child protection system, to be able to care for people who fall [through the cracks], contributes to the prevalence of child labour in Ghana. It’s both ways.”
The right of children is often seen as an alien culture.
“The society is not fully embracing that children have rights” says Appiah, “people feel that we are training children to become deviants and to resist traditional structures.”
The media, which has a crucial responsibility in educating the public, has been unsuccessful in covering children’s issues and human rights content in general. Human rights issues are generally seen as not being attractive enough to readers.
“Though there are some instances where you see the media reporting issues about children” says Appiah, “When you study and watch the trend of discussions, it’s more of the political issues that get coverage rather than looking at the social issues that affect children.”
The humanitarian community in general has grievances about the way human rights are reported, often stating that issues are only superficially glanced over or that the coverage is often aligned with a political motive.
Appiah adds “The information and the necessary steps you have to take in terms of reporting on children has not been the best.”
INTERVENTIONS
According to article 28 of the 1992 constitution of Ghana, “Every child has the right to be protected from engaging in work that constitutes a threat to his or her health, education or development.”
The law also sets a minimum employment age of 15 years and prohibits night work and certain types of hazardous labor for those less than 18 years of age. It levies fines and sentences violators to prison.
Since Ghana ratified ILO convention on the worst forms of Child Labour (ILO Convention 182) in 2000, the country has been making strenuous efforts to address the issue. There is a national policy on child labour and cabinet has endorsed a national plan of action (NPA) for the elimination of worst forms of child labour.
Ghana has partnered with various organizations both locally and internationally, such as the ILO and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), to help curb the cancer of child labour.
Francesco d’Ovidio, Chief Technical Advisor of ILO, said their organization has partnered with others like the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) and the Ghana Journalist’s Association (GJA) to help reduce the prevalence of child labour.
Recently, the government introduced a full program to examine how to eliminate the use of child labour in the cocoa sector.
“That is only one sector” says Appiah, “but this is bold in terms of formulating policy and addressing the problem. It sends out the signal that we are all recognizing the fact that child labour is an issue that we will have to address.”
Thursday, February 3, 2011
ILO Fights Child Labour ®
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri
THE INTERNATIONAL Labour Organisation (ILO), in collaboration with the Parent & Child Foundation, has launched a programme to fight against child labour in the country’s fishing industry.
The programme themed: “Support to the National Plan of Action (NPA) for the elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour (WFCL) in the fishing industry in Ghana,” was launched in the Kpando District of the Volta region.
The programme was part of ILO’s activities to eradicate the use of children as labourers in hazardous occupations particularly fishing.
Francesco d’Ovidio, Chief Technical Advisor of ILO, in his presentation said child labour is a violation of children’s human rights, adding that it harmed their physical and mental development.
He further stated that the activity deprived children the opportunity to receive the complete education and training needed to help them grow into adults with equal access to decent work and a better future and enable them fully exercise their rights and responsibilities as citizens.
“In its worst forms child labour can do permanent damage and deny children the right to family life,” he said.
Mr. d’Ovidio said “the last global ILO estimates on child labour show that there has been a decline of 3 percent between 2004 and 2008 as compared to a 10 percent decrease between 2000 and 2004.”
Continuing he added: “there are children still engaged in child labour even though it has declined more modestly over the years,” he said.
He further added that many trafficked children are used in the fishing industry.
According to the Ghana Child Labour Survey Report (2003), over 49,000 children are involved in fishing in Ghana, 20,000 of whom are in the Volta region and over 15,000 in the Eastern region. Additionally, 70 percent of the children in fishing are found in the two regions fishing on Lake Volta.
“Therefore the choice of focusing on child labour in fishing is purely based on the striking evidence of the predominance of the phenomenon in the Volta region,” he said.
Joseph Amenorwode, Regional Minister and Member of Parliament (MP) for Hohoe South, who officially launched the programme expressed gratitude to the organizers for choosing the Volta region for the pilot study of their new initiative.
He however said: “I hope this region was chosen for the pilot study not because the worst forms of child labour are in the Volta region but because the best solutions are being carried out in the region,” he stated.
He later urged the organization to integrate into its programme the consciousness of the extended family system. In such a system, the child is deemed as an asset to all members of the family, hence the contribution of all in his upbringing.
The MP indicated that the breakdown of the extended family system in modern times was one of the major causes of child labour in the country.
Explaining the details of the programme, E. Kwame Mensah, Programmes Officer said it is being pursued in conjunction with Parent & Child Foundation and will entail protective and preventive measures.
These include policy programmes, law reforms and enforcement, awareness, social mobilization and advocacy, viable alternatives such as quality education and skills training as well as support for children and families.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri
THE INTERNATIONAL Labour Organisation (ILO), in collaboration with the Parent & Child Foundation, has launched a programme to fight against child labour in the country’s fishing industry.
The programme themed: “Support to the National Plan of Action (NPA) for the elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour (WFCL) in the fishing industry in Ghana,” was launched in the Kpando District of the Volta region.
The programme was part of ILO’s activities to eradicate the use of children as labourers in hazardous occupations particularly fishing.
Francesco d’Ovidio, Chief Technical Advisor of ILO, in his presentation said child labour is a violation of children’s human rights, adding that it harmed their physical and mental development.
He further stated that the activity deprived children the opportunity to receive the complete education and training needed to help them grow into adults with equal access to decent work and a better future and enable them fully exercise their rights and responsibilities as citizens.
“In its worst forms child labour can do permanent damage and deny children the right to family life,” he said.
Mr. d’Ovidio said “the last global ILO estimates on child labour show that there has been a decline of 3 percent between 2004 and 2008 as compared to a 10 percent decrease between 2000 and 2004.”
Continuing he added: “there are children still engaged in child labour even though it has declined more modestly over the years,” he said.
He further added that many trafficked children are used in the fishing industry.
According to the Ghana Child Labour Survey Report (2003), over 49,000 children are involved in fishing in Ghana, 20,000 of whom are in the Volta region and over 15,000 in the Eastern region. Additionally, 70 percent of the children in fishing are found in the two regions fishing on Lake Volta.
“Therefore the choice of focusing on child labour in fishing is purely based on the striking evidence of the predominance of the phenomenon in the Volta region,” he said.
Joseph Amenorwode, Regional Minister and Member of Parliament (MP) for Hohoe South, who officially launched the programme expressed gratitude to the organizers for choosing the Volta region for the pilot study of their new initiative.
He however said: “I hope this region was chosen for the pilot study not because the worst forms of child labour are in the Volta region but because the best solutions are being carried out in the region,” he stated.
He later urged the organization to integrate into its programme the consciousness of the extended family system. In such a system, the child is deemed as an asset to all members of the family, hence the contribution of all in his upbringing.
The MP indicated that the breakdown of the extended family system in modern times was one of the major causes of child labour in the country.
Explaining the details of the programme, E. Kwame Mensah, Programmes Officer said it is being pursued in conjunction with Parent & Child Foundation and will entail protective and preventive measures.
These include policy programmes, law reforms and enforcement, awareness, social mobilization and advocacy, viable alternatives such as quality education and skills training as well as support for children and families.
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