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.