News:
February 18, 2021
Chairman of the Appointment Committee Joseph Osei-Owusu is unhappy of a current practice where growing young person in the Ghanaian society helping their parents in farming is term “child labour by developed countries”
According to him growing up in cocoa growing area any time he visited her ground mother in the village she helped her at the farm and carried fire wood home on his way back from the farm.
“Do we have our local definition for child labour or we rely on the one from our donor?” He enquired from the Minister-designate for Employment and Labour Relations when he appeared before the Committee.
In his response, Ignatius Baffour said, “unfortunately we do not have our local definition for child labour”.
He was however, quick to point out to the Committee that Ghana together with its international partners develop one, under the national hazardous activity frame work.
Such that when anyone comes to the country to conduct a survey the definition is used, as prescribed by the International Labour Organisation and other international organisations.
“That is why, I believe the current definition should not be seen as develop world definition, but our collective definition”.
He then questioned the Committee members and asked them, how many of those who were helping their parents on the farms have risen to the top like the chairman of the Committee. “I held same views as you but when I went into the subject matter my perception changed?”
Mr. Baffour Awuah further noted that statements on the subject matter was made in the Seventh Parliament, and expose the level of understand of the subject matter and pointed out that as lawmakers they are supposed to be the lead eye of society.
“So if we do not understand and appreciate the issue of child labour then there is a very big problem we have to deal with”.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com