The Trades Union Congress, the umbrella body of all labour organisations in Ghana, has organised a one-day National Advocacy workshop on Force labour, human trafficking , child labour , and modern slavery in the Upper East Regional capital ,Bolgatanga for selected members in the five regions of the northern part of Ghana.
Participants were taken through some basic definitions of force labour, human trafficking, child labour, and modern slavery. They were also enlightened about the provisions of the constitution of Ghana and the International Labour organisation on the subject.
Speaking on the issue in his opening remarks, the National Deputy Secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Mr. Joshua Ansah said the four issues have been identified as critical factors threatening the achievement of right to work and economic growth in many countries.
” I refer to them as four evils. These are force labour, child labour, child trafficking and slavery. These four issues have been identified as critical factors threatening the achievement of the right to work and economic growth in many counties.
” These issue are affecting millions of individuals, particularly women and children globally. Ghana is not spared from any of these phenomenon. “
Mr. Ansah said though a number of interventions have been taken to address the phenomenon, the TUC has decided to strengthen stakeholders collaboration and deepen efforts to eliminate the problem.
Mr. Andrew Tagoe, the deputy General secretary of the General Agriculture Union-GAWU and lead resource officer for the workshop, added that stakeholders training have become necessary to ensure that children’s childhood which has been undermined in some communities are addressed and children who should be in school be allowed that opportunity while those who should be working are allowed to work.
” Our work on child labour and force labour is informed by the fact that our children must be allowed to grow like children and live like children and grow to become good adults. When they start work early, they go in to the world of work and start competing with their parents. So children who should be in school are competing with their mothers and fathers in the world of work. This undermines the hard earned rights of working people and the children’s childhood is also undermined.”
Mr. Tagoe said child labour perpetuate poverty and called on children to be in school and allow adults who have attained the right age to work ,to work in other to end the poverty cycle. He also said the availability of child labour which is cheap makes business owners to refuse to employ the right adults to work for them.
” Child labour perpetuate poverty and to break this cycle of poverty, adults must remain in work and in decent work an children’s be educated and prepared for the future.”
Though some form of light work and training can be undertaken by children above 13 years, participants have been educated to consider if the work does not affect the education, health, morale and growth of the child before allowing them to participate in the labour even if they offer their service voluntarily.
The training workshop was organised by the Trades Union Congress in collaboration with Lo-Norway.