Members of Parliament on Thursday called for an urgent implementation of the recommendations contained in the 2010 National Plan of Action against Child Labour.
They contended that despite the existence of a strong legal framework, the enforcement of the laws to protect children against child labour had rather weakened.
They stated further that there were still over a million children combining school with hazardous labour, which constitutes a threat to their health and retards their growth and development.
The legislators contributed to a statement made by the MP of Saboba and Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Employment and Social Welfare, Mr Joseph Bukari Nikpe, to mark the World Day Against Child Labour.
Mr Nikpe said although children contributed to the development of the family and the nation, most of the activities they undertook were hazardous and degrading, and amounted to a gross abuse of their rights.
According to Mr Nikpe, child labour existed in almost all sectors of the economy and it was time Ghana enforced “some good practices” in the recommendations contained in the National Plan of Action to eliminate the vice.
He also called on parents and guardians to be guided by these recommendations to enable more children to be in school.
National Plan of Action
The National Plan of Action Against Child Labour recommends the incorporation of child labour issues into developmental programmes and the improvement in the enforcement of the legal and policy framework for the successful implementation of child labour interventions.
The plan also seeks to enhance the human and technical capacity of the child labour units and improve the co-ordination mechanisms for child labour interventions.