By William Sarpong
The Deputy General Secretary of the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) of TUC GHANA, Mr. Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe has disclosed that over 72% of Child Labour in Africa is found in agriculture.
He added that, when child labour problems in agriculture alone can be solved, it means 72 % of the problem is solved.
“The latest estimate that came out from the ILO and UNICEF indicates that globally we have about 160 million children who are in child labour . Now when you look at those statistics, Africa alone is over 80 million”.
The Child Labour statistics in Africa alone he mentioned, is over 80 million, the statistics indicate that child labor alone in Africa is more than in the rest of the world combined.
Mr. Andrews Tagoe made this statement in an interview during a two-day Global March capacity-building training program for Trade Unions, Civil Society Coalition in SDGs, the Media (SOMOPAC), National Union of Food, and Child Labour NGOs from other West African countries to fight a common enemy which is Child Labour.
The Global March capacity building was also organized to consult with the Trade Union, Civil Society Coalition in SDGs, Media (SOMOPAC), National Union of Food, and Child Labour NGOs from other countries and to share their experiences on how to use integrated approaches towards child labor free zones and to announce to the world that, Africa is of age and are capable in solving their child labor problems.
According to him, the Global March capacity-building program held in Accra was centered on the Child Labour Free Zone, using integrated approaches.
Mr. Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe pointed out that, when it comes to child labor, it does not take one individual or organization or one Ministry or one Department to address it saying, that every Ghanaian has a role to play through an integrated approach.
“Some people are service providers to children so they provide services for children. Some people are strengtheners of corporations and local unions so, they do that. Some people are Chiefs and they help in that. Some people are teachers and they help with that. So, all of us, governments, civil society, and community-based organizations have a role to play. When these roles are integrated, we give it the name “Child Labour Free Zone”.
The Child Labour Free Zones Mr. Andrews Tagoe indicated, is a community development module that is faction on ensuring that, all children who go to school are out of child labour and become future adults with decent work.
He said the people with the problem are difficult to locate because, they are in remote areas but advised that, those working to address child labour must begin to develop strategies that would take them to communities across the lake and hard-to-reach places.
Mr.Tagoe emphasized that resources are needed to transport those working to address child labor to where the people are. “Crossing the Volta Lake, we need boats and machines to be able to cross and after we have crossed, we need support to put the system into place. We need systems to promote Child-Labour-free Zones. And that is what we have experimented with in Ghana and the government has adopted it. ILO has adopted it as one of the best practices so, a journey of 1000 miles begins with a step”.
He stressed that, when it comes to child labour issues, Legal and Research have indicated that 1 out of every 5 children in Africa is an activity that can be classified as child labor.
Cultural practices in Ghana Mr. Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe hinted, have enabled people to have an opinion that it accepts child labour but said, its cultural practices do not.
Culture according to Mr. Andrews Tagoe, cannot be used as an excuse to get children out of school. “I don’t know any part of the World that does not believe in education and that, because of their culture, its children should not go to school”.
He affirmed that, anywhere a child is doing activities and is denying the child his education, then the child is at risk. “It is denying the child of his physical development. The child is being exposed to moral activities like commercial sexual exploitation”.
One of the Child Labour products who was rescued by the name of Freeman, is now an Assemblyman and was among the panelists who shared their experience and how he is using a community-based approach to transform and educate parents in communities where child labor is ongoing.
The Global March is the biggest Civil Society Movement around the globe and comprises civil society organizations, trade unions, and then other community-based organizations.
