The media responsible for protecting children from child labor

By William Sarpong

Deputy Minister of Employment and Labor Relations, Bright Wireku Brobby, has instructed the media to protect children, especially from child labor.

He called on the media to prioritize reporting on children's issues and to give them wider coverage in all languages, if possible.

He observed that the media had a role to play in achieving the goal of eliminating child labor through lifelong education.

The deputy minister launched the appeal in a keynote speech at the media launch of the 2019 World Day Against Child Labor in Accra.

The day will be celebrated on June 12 under the local theme: "Consolidation of efforts: children must work on dreams and not on fields!"

Ghanaians, he said, need to make significant efforts to advocate for children's rights, help them realize their dreams and bring out their potential.

"When we encourage our children to make positive dreams that are free of abuse such as child labor, we give them confidence and goals, which contributes to development."

Wireku Brobby noted that children like to reach the first stage of their lives by doing everything in their power to achieve their goals and, in so doing, reveal their potential.

"Even more, their dreams reinforce creativity and push them to think outside the box. Following their dreams makes them independent and determined to identify and discover their inner qualities and strength. "

According to the deputy minister, acting in ways that prevent children from dreaming is like asking them to stop thinking, as opposed to what their counterparts in other parts of the world are doing.

He observed that despite the government's policies and other social interventions, such as the school feeding program, the capitation subsidy for elementary school children and the mbadive infrastructure development under way, it would be difficult to the country stepped up and stepped up by awareness and media engagement.

Around the world, about 218 million children aged 5 to 17 years old are employed. Of these, 152 million are child laborers and almost half, 73 million, work in hazardous environments.

These children, he said, were forced to drop out of school, play sports and gambling and sometimes even work at home to work in dangerous, damaging and abusive conditions.

Many children engage in paid and unpaid work around the world, but are clbadified as child laborers when work is considered hazardous or when the child is a minor.

Children in major trading cities such as Accra, Tema, Obuasi and Tamale are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including fishing, mining, hawking and domestic servitude.

Poverty is one of the main factors contributing to child labor.

Children are forced to perform hazardous and physically demanding jobs as many poor households spend the bulk of their income on food, forcing parents to send or sell their children to the labor market in order to make ends meet.

Children's participation in work that does not affect their health or personal development or prevent them from continuing their education is generally considered positive.

Child labor in Ghana is a national problem and, over the years, governments have made considerable efforts to tackle the problem at both the national and sub-national levels.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) launched the first World Day Against Child Labor in 2002 to highlight the plight of these children.

The World Day Against Child Labor provides an opportunity to raise awareness and take action against child labor and tackle the root cause of child labor.