In 2020, Ghana made moderate advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The Ministry of Employment and Labor Relation’s Child Labor Unit developed an Inter-Sectoral Standard Operating Procedure for child protection and family welfare, which provides a framework of agreed standards and procedures for stakeholders. In addition, the government opened a new shelter for child trafficking victims, significantly increased investigations and convictions of child labor crimes, and launched a training of trainers course for labor inspectors. However, children in Ghana are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including in fishing and cocoa production and harvesting, each sometimes as a result of human trafficking. Prohibitions related to the commercial sexual exploitation of children do not meet international standards as the use of children in pornographic performances is not criminally prohibited, and the law also does not prohibit the use of children for illicit activities, including for the production and trafficking of drugs. In addition, the government has not acceded to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child's Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, and resource constraints severely limited the government's ability to adequately enforce labor laws and implement social programs during the reporting period.
Children in Ghana are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including in fishing and cocoa production and harvesting, each sometimes as a result of human trafficking. (1,2) During the reporting period, NORC at the University of Chicago released a report detailing findings from a sectorally representative survey conducted in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana during the cocoa harvesting season of 2018–2019. This report found an increase in child labor (and hazardous child labor) in cocoa production during the 10-year timeframe since the survey in 2008–2009. (3) Table 1 provides key indicators on children’s work and education in Ghana.
|
Children |
Age |
Percent |
|---|---|---|
|
Working (% and population) |
5 to 14 |
13.0 (927,591) |
|
Working children by sector |
5 to 14 |
|
|
Agriculture |
79.2 |
|
|
Industry |
5.0 |
|
|
Services |
15.8 |
|
|
Attending School (%) |
5 to 14 |
89.9 |
|
Combining Work and School (%) |
7 to 14 |
13.2 |
|
Primary Completion Rate (%) |
93.8 |
Source for primary completion rate: Data from 2018, published by UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2021. (4)
Source for all other data: International Labor Organization's analysis of statistics from Living Standard Survey (GLSS), 2016–2017. (5)
Based on a review of available information, Table 2 provides an overview of children's work by sector and activity.
|
Sector/Industry |
Activity |
|---|---|
|
Agriculture |
Producing cocoa, including land clearing, using machetes and cutlasses for weeding, collecting cocoa pods with a harvesting hook, breaking cocoa pods, exposure to pesticides,† and carrying heavy loads† of water (1-3,6-12) |
|
Production of palm oil and cotton, including weeding, and harvesting (8,13) |
|
|
Herding livestock, including cattle, hunting, and work in slaughterhouses (14,15) |
|
|
Fishing, including for tilapia; preparing bait, nets, and fishing gear; launching, paddling, and draining canoes; diving for fish; casting and pulling fishing nets and untangling them underwater; sorting, picking, cleaning, smoking, transporting, and selling fish; cleaning and repairing nets; and building and repairing boats (1,2,7,9,13,16,17) |
|
|
Industry |
Quarrying† and small-scale mining,† sometimes for gold, including using mercury,† digging in deep pits, crushing rocks by hand, carrying heavy loads,† and operating machinery† (8,9,18) |
|
Manufacturing† (8,11) |
|
|
Construction and bricklaying or carrying brick (1,8,11) |
|
|
Services |
Domestic work (2,6,10) |
|
Transporting heavy loads as kayayei† (19,20) |
|
|
Work in transportation† (11) |
|
|
Street work,† including begging,† small-scale vending, and working at restaurants or bars† (8,18) |
|
|
Categorical Worst Forms of Child Labor‡ |
Commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking (1,10,15,21-24) |
|
Forced labor in begging; agriculture, including cocoa; herding; fishing, including for tilapia; artisanal gold mining; domestic work; and street work, including vending and carrying heavy loads; sometimes as a result of human trafficking (1,15,16,23-28) |
|
|
Forced ritual servitude for girls known as trokosi, including in domestic work for priests (9,21,22,27,29,30) |
† Determined by national law or regulation as hazardous and, as such, relevant to Article 3(d) of ILO C. 182.
‡ Child labor understood as the worst forms of child labor per se under Article 3(a)–(c) of ILO C. 182.
A majority of children subject to human trafficking in Ghana are exploited for labor in cocoa production, domestic work, commercial sexual exploitation, gold mining, and fishing. Children as young as age 4 are subjected to forced labor in fishing in the areas around Lake Volta, sometimes as a result of human trafficking. (3,15,16,21,26-28) Children also use sharp tools and are exposed to agro-chemicals while working in the cocoa sector. (8,12) In addition, girls as young as age 13 from rural northern regions of Ghana travel to urban centers to work as kayayei, or female porters, carrying heavy loads on their heads in markets, and are particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse and exploitation. (19,20)
According to the Constitution and the Education Act, primary education in Ghana is free and compulsory from kindergarten through junior high school. (31,32) However, impoverished families often struggle to pay administrative fees and to purchase school supplies and uniforms, although research found that students are not prevented from enrolling due to a lack of uniform or birth certificate. (33,34) The dual-track system, introduced in 2018, allows secondary school students, typically between the ages of 13 and 17, to attend school in alternating semesters and take advantage of opportunities such as vocational training when they are not in school. (19,35) However, reports suggest that such opportunities are often not readily available or affordable. As a result, these children are vulnerable to exploitation in child labor during the times when they are not in school. (1,6,9,22,23,36) Although the government has significantly increased the overall number of children attending school, the system involves children rotating being in class a few months at a time, resulting in idle time for many students, which has had the unintended consequence of an increase in vulnerability to child trafficking or forced labor. (24) In addition, factors such as a shortage of classrooms, long distances to schools, absence of sanitation facilities, overcrowding in urban areas, sexual harassment of girls in schools, physical violence and verbal abuse in schools, and poor educational infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, severely limit access to education for many children. (1,6,9,22,36,37) In response, the government has made efforts to increase the accessibility of public education, including by building schools to reduce the distance students must travel, providing school uniforms, lifting birth registration requirements for enrollment, and extending free education through high school. (35,36) In addition, the government operates 14 national schools for visually and hearing impaired students. (34,36)
Ghana has ratified most key international conventions concerning child labor (Table 3).
|
Convention |
Ratification |
|---|---|
|
ILO C. 138, Minimum Age |
✓ |
|
ILO C. 182, Worst Forms of Child Labor |
✓ |
|
UN CRC |
✓ |
|
UN CRC Optional Protocol on Armed Conflict |
✓ |
|
UN CRC Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography |
|
|
Palermo Protocol on Trafficking in Persons |
✓ |
The government has established laws and regulations related to child labor (Table 4). However, gaps exist in Ghana's legal framework to adequately protect children from the worst forms of child labor, including the use of children in commercial sexual exploitation.
|
Standard |
Meets International Standards |
Age |
Legislation |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Minimum Age for Work |
Yes |
15 |
Section 89 of the Children's Act (38) |
|
Minimum Age for Hazardous Work |
Yes |
18 |
Section 91 of the Children's Act (38) |
|
Identification of Hazardous Occupations or Activities Prohibited for Children |
Yes |
Articles 28.1d, 28.2, and 28.5 of the Constitution; Article 7 of the Labor Regulations Legislative Instrument; Sections 91–92 of the Children's Act; Article 58 of the Labor Act (31,38-41) |
|
|
Prohibition of Forced Labor |
Yes |
Articles 16.1 and 16.2 of the Constitution; Articles 116–117 of the Labor Act; Sections 1–3 and 42 of the Human Trafficking Act; Sections 1–2 of the Human Trafficking Prohibition Legislative Instrument (31,39,42,43) |
|
|
Prohibition of Child Trafficking |
Yes |
Sections 1–2 of the Human Trafficking Act; Sections 1–2 of the Human Trafficking Prohibition Legislative Instrument; Articles 21–25 of the Labor Regulations Legislative Instrument (40,42,43) |
|
|
Prohibition of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children |
No |
Sections 101A, 107–108, 110–111, 274–277, and 279–283 of the Criminal Offenses Act (40,44) |
|
|
Prohibition of Using Children in Illicit Activities |
No |
||
|
Minimum Age for Voluntary State Military Recruitment |
Yes |
18 |
Ghana Armed Forces General Eligibility (Recruits) (45) |
|
Prohibition of Compulsory Recruitment of Children by (State) Military |
Yes* |
Ghana Armed Forces General Eligibility (Recruits) (45) |
|
|
Prohibition of Military Recruitment by Non-state Armed Groups |
No |
||
|
Compulsory Education Age |
Yes |
15‡ |
Article 2.2 of the Education Act (32) |
|
Free Public Education |
Yes |
Article 25.1.a of the Constitution; Articles 1.1, 1.2, and 2.2 of the Education Act (31,32) |
* No conscription (46)
‡ Age calculated based on available information (46)
Ghana's laws do not cover the procuring or offering of children in the production of pornography or the use, procuring, or offering of children for pornographic performance. Although Ghana has prohibited some hazardous work for children, the current hazardous work list does not cover all occupations or activities in which child labor is known to occur, including in cocoa production. (1,40,47,48)
The government has established institutional mechanisms for the enforcement of laws and regulations on child labor (Table 5). However, gaps exist within the operations of enforcement agencies that may hinder adequate enforcement of their child labor laws.
|
Organization/Agency |
Role |
|---|---|
|
Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations (MELR) |
Enforces child labor laws. (19) Conducts national dialogue on Child Labor-Free Zones and a workshop on Child Labor-Free Zones to discuss child labor in the cocoa industry. (1) During the last quarter of 2019, MELR and the chocolate industry, supported by UNICEF and ILO, developed a public-private partnership to end child involvement in the cocoa supply chain. (2) UNICEF supported the drafting of the gap analysis and the framework for action for this partnership. The proposed interventions in the partnership cover social protection, education, health, and child protection sectors. (2) Further, during the reporting period, the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations established guidelines for Child Labor-Free Zones and began pre-testing the Ghana Child Labor Monitoring System. (49) |
|
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development's District Assemblies |
Through labor inspectors, investigate child labor violations, educate employers on compliance with child labor laws, and conduct inspections. (1,47) Through social services subcommittees, enforce child labor provisions in the informal sector. (1,38) |
|
Ministry of the Interior |
Through its Ghana Police Service, investigates, arrests, and prosecutes cases related to the worst forms of child labor and operates a 24/7 hotline for reporting crimes. (1) Within the Ghana Police Service, the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit and Anti-Human Trafficking Unit investigate cases and provide support to victims. (1,25) Through its Ghana Immigration Service, combats human trafficking through Anti-Human Smuggling and Trafficking Units. (1,50,51) |
|
Ministry of Justice's Office of the Attorney General |
Combats child labor by prosecuting child labor and child trafficking crimes. (1) Within the Economic and Organized Crime Office, the Human Trafficking Unit shares responsibility with the Ministry of the Interior's Anti-Human Trafficking Unit for combating human trafficking, confiscating proceeds from human trafficking, and providing ongoing training for law enforcement on prevention measures. (52,53) |
|
Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MOGCSP) |
Combats child labor and leads government efforts to combat human trafficking. (1) Through its Department of Social Welfare, operates shelters for vulnerable and abused children, administers juvenile justice, and implements programs to combat child labor. (9) Through its Human Trafficking Secretariat, oversees the creation, implementation, and review of human trafficking policies and ensures proper monitoring, evaluation, and data collection. (1) During the reporting period, with UNICEF, developed an Inter-Sectoral Standard Operating Procedure for child protection and family welfare. (2) |
Although the Office of the Attorney General is responsible for prosecuting child trafficking violations, there was an insufficient number of state attorneys designated to prosecute human trafficking crimes. The majority of cases were handled by the Ghana Police Service prosecutors, whose lack of formal legal training impedes their ability to prosecute complex criminal cases. (33,34,54) Research indicates that slow communication and challenges in evidence collection between the Ghana Police Service and the Attorney General's office may have further hampered efforts to prosecute cases of child trafficking. (1)
The Inter-Sectoral Standard Operating Procedure for child protection and family welfare provides a harmonized framework of agreed standards, principles, and procedures for all child protection and family welfare stakeholders to understand each other’s roles and responsibilities. It identifies specific procedures for the use of forms, tools, and guides by social services and other key stakeholders, and it holds stakeholders accountable to each other. (2)
Labor Law Enforcement
In 2020, labor law enforcement agencies in Ghana took actions to combat child labor (Table 6). However, gaps exist within the authority of the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations that may hinder adequate labor law enforcement, including the authority of labor inspectors to assess penalties.
|
Overview of Labor Law Enforcement |
2019 |
2020 |
|---|---|---|
|
Labor Inspectorate Funding |
Unknown (1) |
Unknown (2) |
|
Number of Labor Inspectors |
57 (1) |
62 (55) |
|
Inspectorate Authorized to Assess Penalties |
No (39) |
No (39,55) |
|
Initial Training for New Labor Inspectors |
No (1) |
Yes (55) |
|
Training on New Laws Related to Child Labor |
N/A (1) |
N/A (2) |
|
Refresher Courses Provided |
Yes (1) |
Yes (2) |
|
Number of Labor Inspections Conducted |
328 (34) |
213 (55) |
|
Number Conducted at Worksite |
160† (1) |
Unknown (2,55) |
|
Number of Child Labor Violations Found |
32 (34) |
8 (2,55) |
|
Number of Child Labor Violations for Which Penalties Were Imposed |
Unknown (1) |
No (2,55) |
|
Number of Child Labor Penalties Imposed that Were Collected |
Unknown (1) |
No (2,55) |
|
Routine Inspections Conducted |
Yes (1) |
Yes (55) |
|
Routine Inspections Targeted |
Yes (1) |
Unknown (2) |
|
Unannounced Inspections Permitted |
Yes (1,39) |
Yes (39,55) |
|
Unannounced Inspections Conducted |
Yes (1) |
Yes (55) |
|
Complaint Mechanism Exists |
Yes (1) |
Yes (55) |
|
Reciprocal Referral Mechanism Exists Between Labor Authorities and Social Services |
Yes (1) |
Yes(2,55) |
† Data are from January 1, 2018 to November 30, 2019.
The number of labor inspectors is likely insufficient for the size of Ghana’s workforce, which includes approximately 12,490,000 workers in both the formal and informal sectors. (1,34,56) According to the ILO’s technical advice of a ratio approaching 1 inspector for every 15,000 workers in industrializing economies, Ghana would employ about 833 inspectors. (56,57) Research found that inadequate resources, including funding, transportation, office space, and office supplies, hamper the labor inspectorate’s capacity to enforce child labor laws, particularly in the informal sector in which child labor is most common. (1,2,47) In addition, a formal referral mechanism continued to be hindered by the lack of funding, shelter space, and transportation for victims. (1,2)
Criminal Law Enforcement
In 2020, criminal law enforcement agencies in Ghana took actions to combat child labor (Table 7). However, gaps exist within the operations of the criminal law enforcement agencies that may hinder adequate criminal law enforcement, including financial resource allocation.
|
Overview of Criminal Law Enforcement |
2019 |
2020 |
|---|---|---|
|
Initial Training for New Criminal Investigators |
Yes (1) |
Unknown (2,55) |
|
Training on New Laws Related to the Worst Forms of Child Labor |
N/A (1) |
N/A (2) |
|
Refresher Courses Provided |
Yes (1) |
Yes (2) |
|
Number of Investigations |
36 (34) |
119 (2) |
|
Number of Violations Found |
152 (34) |
Unknown (2,55) |
|
Number of Prosecutions Initiated |
4 (1) |
Unknown (2,55) |
|
Number of Convictions |
4 (1) |
8 (2) |
|
Imposed Penalties for Violations Related to The Worst Forms of Child Labor |
Yes (1) |
Yes (2) |
|
Reciprocal Referral Mechanism Exists Between Criminal Authorities and Social Services |
Yes (1) |
Yes (2) |
Research indicates that poor inter-agency coordination and insufficient resources for transportation and victim support resulted in underreporting of cases and hampered criminal enforcement efforts. (9,21,25,27,54) In addition, members of parliament have attempted to discourage investigations or prosecutions of child trafficking offenses, and high staff turnover limits the government's ability to investigate and prosecute these offenses. (1,51) Lastly, criminal enforcement agencies lack the resources to properly monitor sectors in which the worst forms of child labor are known to occur. For example, on Lake Volta, the police do not have boats to patrol for forced child labor in fishing. (23)
The Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations, the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of the Interior are committed to using the Trafficking in Persons Information System, developed by the IOM. (1) Research was unable to determine whether the Trafficking in Persons Information System was used during the reporting period.
The government has established mechanisms to coordinate its efforts to address child labor (Table 8). However, gaps exist that hinder the effective coordination of efforts to address child labor, including an absence of reporting on efforts to address child labor.
|
Coordinating Body |
Role & Description |
|---|---|
|
National Steering Committee on Child Labor |
Coordinates government efforts to combat the worst forms of child labor, and oversees implementation of the National Plan of Action Phase II on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor, which includes implementation of the Ghana Child Labor Monitoring System. (1,58,59) Led by MELR’s Child Labor Unit, includes representatives from other ministries, employers’ and workers’ organizations, and civil society. (1,58,60,61) In June 2020, conducted a sensitization and awareness-raising campaign. (2) In addition, in March 2020, and in partnership with Japanese International Cooperation Agency, the government launched the Protocols and Guidelines for Establishing Child Labor-Free Zones. (62) |
|
Inter-Ministerial Committee to Combat Human Trafficking |
Aims to prevent Ghanaian migrants from becoming victims of human trafficking. Comprises MELR, MOGCSP, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of the Interior. (1,34) Research was unable to determine whether this coordinating body was active during the reporting period. |
|
Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations Child Labor Unit |
Facilitates the development of policies and laws to combat child labor, coordinates interventions to combat child labor, and oversees child protection committees at the district level. (58,63) Provides technical support to ministries, departments and agencies, employers’ and workers’ organizations, and international agencies such as ILO, IOM, and UNICEF, and is responsible for conducting labor inspections in all sectors except the security and intelligence agencies. (1) During the reporting period, conducted field visits in the Oti, Volta, Central, and Eastern regions. (2) |
|
Human Trafficking Management Board |
Advises the MOGCSP on anti-trafficking policy, promotes prevention efforts, facilitates the protection and reintegration of child trafficking victims, and administers the Human Trafficking Fund. Continued to meet quarterly to carry out these activities during the reporting period. (34) |
The government has established policies related to child labor (Table 9). However, policy gaps exist that hinder efforts to address child labor, including implementation.
|
Policy |
Description |
|---|---|
|
National Plan of Action Phase II on the Elimination of the Worse Forms of Child Labor (2017–2020) |
Aimed to address gaps identified in the first National Plan of Action (2009–2015), improve coordination, and reduce the worst forms of child labor to 10 percent by 2021, with a focus on the fishing, mining, and cocoa sectors. (8,33,59,60) Research was unable to determine whether activities were undertaken to implement this policy during the reporting period. |
|
National Plan of Action for the Elimination of Human Trafficking in Ghana (2017–2021) |
Aims to improve data collection, enhance victim protection, increase accountability for perpetrators, and conduct prevention and outreach, including an expansion of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty Program. (64) The government made a shelter for child victims of human trafficking that became fully operational in August 2020. (2,24) |
|
Hazardous Child Labor Activity Frameworks |
Includes the Hazardous Child Labor Activity Framework and the Hazardous Child Labor Activity Framework for the Cocoa Sector. Developed in consultation with workers’ and employers’ organizations, to identify hazardous activities that should be prohibited for children. (41,48,65) Research was unable to determine whether activities were undertaken to implement these policies during the reporting period. |
|
2010 Declaration of Joint Action to Support the Implementation of the Harkin-Engel Protocol (2010 Declaration) and Its Accompanying Framework of Action |
Joint Declaration by the Governments of Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and the United States, and the International Cocoa and Chocolate Industry. (66-68) Provides resources and coordinates with key stakeholders on efforts to reduce the worst forms of child labor in cocoa-producing areas. (66,67) Ensures that all project efforts implemented under the Declaration and Framework align with Ghana’s national action plans to promote coherence and sustainability. (66-68) USDOL-funded projects and some industry-funded projects carried out activities in support of this policy during the reporting period. (34) The annual Child Labor Cocoa Coordinating Group meeting scheduled for November 2020 was postponed. (2) |
|
Minerals and Mining Policy of Ghana |
Prohibits child labor in mining and stipulates that children who visit mining sites must be supervised. (69) Research was unable to determine whether activities were undertaken to implement this policy during the reporting period. |
|
Strategy on Anti-Child Labor and Trafficking in Fisheries (2016–2020) |
Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development policy that aimed to significantly reduce the incidence of child labor in fisheries by improving child protection systems and increasing prosecution of offenders. (70) With USAID support, 10 coastal District Assemblies in the Central Region received $934,674 to mainstream activities to combat child labor and child trafficking activities in their 2018–2021 Medium-Term Development Plans. (34) Research was unable to determine whether activities were undertaken to implement this policy during the reporting period. |
‡ The government had other policies that may have addressed child labor issues or had an impact on child labor. (25,71,72)
Although the government made strides in the implementation of its National Plan of Action for the Elimination of Human Trafficking in Ghana, research indicates that the government relied heavily on NGOs to implement the mandates of this policy. Other areas that required further government attention included provisioning of shelters in more regions and districts, and providing adequate funding and logistics for rescue operations and victim protection. (23)
In 2020, the government funded and participated in programs that include the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor (Table 10). However, gaps exist in these social programs, including funding and adequacy of programs to address the problem in all sectors.
|
Program |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Industry-Funded Projects |
Projects that aim to increase sustainability in the cocoa sector, improve farmer livelihoods, improve access to education, and combat the worst forms of child labor in cocoa-growing areas. Some projects may be in support of the World Cocoa Foundation’s CocoaAction (2014–2020) initiative and the spirit of the 2010 Declaration. (68) In 2020, the industry announced that it will invest $30 million by 2025 in Child Learning and Education Facility, a new education fund in Côte d’Ivoire that is expected to reach 5 million children. (73) In addition, companies have joined together for a larger-scale CocoaAction program with an estimated $400 million investment by the Industry between 2015 and 2020. (74) |
|
U.S. Government-Funded Projects |
Projects that aim to improve child protection measures in partnership with the host government. These projects include: the Child Protection Compact Partnership (2015–2020), a $5 million USDOS-funded project implemented by IOM and local NGO Free the Slaves; Accelerating Care Reform (2016–2020), an $8 million USAID-funded project implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and UNICEF to strengthen the social welfare system; Sustainable Fisheries Management Project (2014–2020), a $24 million USAID-funded project implemented by University of Rhode Island's Coastal Resource Center; the Complementary Basic Education Program, a $40 million joint contribution between USAID and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development to support Ghana’s Ministry of Education’s efforts to educate and re-integrate out-of-school children into the basic school system; and the Learning Support program, a $37 million USAID-UNICEF-funded program that helps increase inclusive education services for special needs children in primary schools. (19,75,76) |
|
Educational Programs† |
Ministry of Education-funded programs under the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education aim to increase school attendance and enrollment. (72,77) MOGCSP’s Ghana School Feeding Program aims to reduce malnutrition and improve attendance among students, its Capitation Grant Scheme helps defray the cost of basic education for students in public primary schools, and its Ghana Education Service—Girls’ Education Unit places girls’ education officers at the regional and district levels and mobilizes communities to enroll more girls in school. (78-80) Further, the Ghana Cocoa Board’s Child Education Support Program rehabilitates and builds schools in cocoa-growing areas. (77,81) |
|
MOGCSP Programs† |
Programs that aim to support vulnerable children. Includes: the Program to Assist Kayayei, which provides rehabilitation and reintegration support; the temporary program "Get Off the Street," which aims to remove children from the street and reintegrate them into family and educational settings; the Human Trafficking Fund, which aims to provide financial support to victims; and the conditional cash transfer program, which aims to provide monetary support to poor households with orphans and vulnerable children on the condition that these children attend school. (51,78,82) Research was unable to determine whether activities were undertaken to implement these social programs during the reporting period. |
|
USDOL-Funded Projects |
USDOL projects that aim to eliminate child labor. These projects include: MATE MASIE (2020-2024),* a $4 million project being implemented by Winrock; Adwuma Pa (2018–2022), a $5 million project implemented by CARE; Combating Forced Labor and Labor Trafficking of Adults and Children in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire (2017–2021), a $2 million project implemented by Verité; and Assessing Progress in Reducing Child Labor in Cocoa-Growing Areas of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana (2015–2021), a $3 million project implemented by NORC at the University of Chicago. (12) Additional information is available on the USDOL website. |
* Program was launched during the reporting period.
† Program is funded by the Government of Ghana.
‡ The government had other social programs that may have included the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor. (54,79,83,84)
Research indicates a lack of funding as one of the primary obstacles in implementing programs to address child labor. (1,51) In addition, government-run shelters for victims of the worst forms of child labor are few, and the government relies significantly on NGO-run shelters to which they can refer rescued children. (1,27,34)
In partnership with USDOL through its Combating Forced Labor and Labor Trafficking of Adults and Children in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire program, the government provided a 6-week online training of trainers starting November 2020 for 10 Ghanaian labor inspectors from the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations on how to identify, address, and prevent forced labor using the ILO's forced labor indicators approach. The development of this program was in response to a 2019 needs assessment. (85)
Although the government has worked closely with industry, NGOs, and international organizations to implement child labor programs in cocoa, fishing, and mining, the breadth of these programs remains insufficient to address the scope of the problem. (46)
Based on the reporting above, suggested actions are identified that would advance the elimination of child labor in Ghana (Table 11).
|
Area |
Suggested Action |
Year(s) Suggested |
|---|---|---|
|
Legal Framework |
Accede to the UN CRC Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography. |
2013 – 2020 |
|
Ensure that laws criminally prohibit all forms of commercial sexual exploitation of children, including by prohibiting the use of a child in pornographic performances. |
2009 – 2020 |
|
|
Ensure that laws criminally prohibit the use of children in all illicit activities, including for the production and trafficking of drugs. |
2016 – 2020 |
|
|
Ensure that the law criminally prohibits the recruitment of children under age 18 by non-state armed groups. |
2015 – 2020 |
|
|
Update the hazardous work list for children to cover all hazardous types of work outlined in ILO C. 182. |
2020 |
|
|
Enforcement |
Ensure that prosecutors who have received sufficient legal training oversee and lead the prosecution of cases involving the worst forms of child labor and that an adequate number of state attorneys are available to prosecute cases. |
2015 – 2020 |
|
|
Publish information on the amount of funding allocated to the labor inspectorate, number of labor inspections conducted at worksites, number of child labor inspections found, imposed, and collected, and number of routine inspections targeted. |
2009 – 2020 |
|
Ensure that the inspectorates have adequate resources, including office space, transportation, and supplies, to adequately carry out their mandate throughout the country. |
2009 – 2020 |
|
|
Strengthen the labor inspectorate by authorizing inspectors to assess penalties for labor violations. |
2014 – 2020 |
|
|
Ensure labor inspectors receive adequate training, including initial training for new inspectors. |
2014 – 2020 |
|
|
Publish data on the number of penalties imposed and collected for child labor violations identified. |
2019 – 2020 |
|
|
Significantly increase the number of labor inspectors to meet the ILO's technical advice. |
2010 – 2020 |
|
|
Strengthen and fully fund the mechanism to track cases of child labor for referral between law enforcement and social services providers. |
2019 – 2020 |
|
|
Improve communication and coordination among criminal enforcement agencies to prosecute cases of the worst forms of child labor and provide adequate victim support. |
2015 – 2020 |
|
|
Ensure that the Trafficking in Persons Information System is used and publish any related activities. |
2020 |
|
|
Coordination |
Ensure that all coordinating bodies are active and report their activities. |
2013 – 2020 |
|
Government Policies |
Ensure that government policies are active, adequately funded, and publish information on their activities. |
2013 – 2020 |
|
Social Programs |
Improve access to education by eliminating school-related fees, increasing the number of classrooms, improving access to schools, providing sanitation facilities, and prohibiting sexual harassment in schools. |
2010 – 2020 |
|
Ensure that opportunities such as vocational training are available to secondary school students enrolled in the dual-track system. |
2019 – 2020 |
|
|
Ensure that social programs are active and receive sufficient funding to carry out their objectives. |
2014 – 2020 |
|
|
Expand the availability of government-supported shelter services for child victims and ensure that all shelters are operational. |
2016 – 2020 |
|
|
Create, replicate, and expand effective models for addressing exploitative child labor in the cocoa, fishing, and mining sectors. |
2009 – 2020 |
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- ILO. Analysis of Child Economic Activity and School Attendance Statistics from National Household or Child Labor Surveys. Original data from Ghana Living Standard Survey (GLSS), 2016–2017. March 2021. Children's Work and Education Statistics: Sources and Definitions.
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- Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, and COCOBOD. National Programme on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Cocoa (NPECLC), 2017 – 2020. March 2017. Source on file.
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- Hawke, Angela, and Alison Raphael. Offenders on the Move: Global Study on Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism. Bangkok: ECPAT International, May 2016. https://protectingchildrenintourism.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Global-Report-Offenders-on-the-Move.pdf
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- U.S. Embassy- Accra Reporting. February 19, 2020.
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- U.S. Department of State. Trafficking in Persons Report- 2018: Ghana. Washington, DC, June 28, 2018. https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/282798.pdf
- The CNN Freedom Project. CNN exposes child slavery on Ghana's Lake Volta. 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRcVU678UPs
- UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Concluding observations on the combined third to fifth periodic reports of Ghana. CRC/C/GHA/CO/3-5. June 9, 2015. http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CRC/Shared Documents/GHA/INT_CRC_COC_GHA_20799_E.pdf
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- Government of the Republic of Ghana. Constitution of the Republic of Ghana. Enacted: 1992. https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Ghana_1996.pdf?lang=en
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. The Education Act, Act 778. Enacted: 2008. https://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/docs/MONOGRAPH/83622/92463/F2061259086/GHA83622.pdf
- U.S. Embassy- Accra official. E-mail communication to USDOL official. July 11, 2019.
- U.S. Embassy- Accra. E-mail communication to USDOL official. June 29, 2020.
- U.S. Embassy- Accra. Reporting. January 29, 2018.
- U.S. Department of State. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices- 2018: Ghana. Washington, DC, March 13, 2019. https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ghana-2018.pdf
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS6) Child Labour Report. August 26, 2014. Source on file.
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. The Children's Act, Act 560. Enacted: September 24, 1998. http://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/docs/WEBTEXT/56216/65194/E98GHA01.htm
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. Labour Act of 2003, Act 651. Enacted: March 31, 2004. https://www.ilo.org/legacy/english/inwork/cb-policy-guide/ghanalabouract2003section109.pdf
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. Labour Regulations Arrangement of Regulations, L.I. 1833. Enacted: 2007. http://www.ilo.org/dyn/travail/docs/1198/Labour Regulations 2007.pdf
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. Hazardous Child Labour Activity Framework for Ghana (HAF). Enacted: 2012. Source on file.
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. Human Trafficking Act, Act 694. Enacted: December 5, 2005. https://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/docs/ELECTRONIC/74422/101249/F630282635/GHA74422.pdf
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. Human Trafficking Prohibition (Protection and Reintegration of Trafficked Persons Regulations), L.I. 2219. Enacted: June 22, 2015. https://www.warnathgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/2015-Human-Trafficking-Prohibition-Regulations-L.I.-2219.pdf
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. Criminal Offenses (Amendment) Act, Act 849. Enacted: June 27, 2012. http://www.refworld.org/pdfid/44bf823a4.pdf
- Ghana Armed Forces. General Eligibility (Recruits). Accessed May 4, 2018. https://ghanadmission.com/ghana-armed-forces-recruitments/
- U.S. Embassy- Accra. Reporting. January 15, 2016.
- U.S. Department of State. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices- 2019: Ghana. Washington, DC, March 11, 2020. https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/ghana
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. Hazardous Child Labour Activity Framework for the Cocoa Sector. Enacted: June 2008. https://cocoainitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/hazardous_ghana_framework.pdf
- U.S. Department of State. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices- 2020: Ghana. Washington, DC, March 30, 2021. https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/ghana/
- Mensah, Mary. Human trafficking, child labor abuses. Worst form of human rights violation - Mrs. Mahama. Graphic.com, September 17, 2016. http://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/human-trafficking-child-labour-abuses-worst-form-of-human-rights-violation-mrs-mahama.html
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report on Ghana - 2017 Responses. January 2018. Source on file.
- U.S. Embassy- Accra. Reporting. February 14, 2017.
- U.S. Embassy- Accra. Reporting. February 1, 2016.
- U.S. Embassy- Accra. Reporting. February 13, 2018.
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. Response from the Child Labor Unit. March 3, 2021. Source on File.
- CIA. The World Factbook. Accessed January 19, 2018. Please see "Labor Law Enforcement: Sources and Definitions" in the Reference Materials section of this report. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ghana/
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- Government of the Republic of Ghana. Ghana Child Labour Monitoring System (GCLMS). Accra: Ministry Of Employment And Social Welfare. September 2010. http://www.africanchildforum.org/clr/policy per country/ghana/ghana_labour_2010_en.pdf
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. Report on its Efforts to Eliminate Child Labour in 2017. March 2018. Source on file.
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. Minutes of the Fourth Quarter Meeting of the National Steering Committee on Child Labour (NSCCL) on Friday 8th December 2017 at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR), December 8, 2017. Source on file.
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- 63 Government of the Republic of Ghana, Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations. Pilot Report on Ghana Child Labor Monitoring System (GCLMS). July 2013. Source on file.
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- Senator Thomas Harkin, Congressman Eliot Engel, USDOL, Government of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, Government of the Republic of Ghana, and International Cocoa and Chocolate Industry. Framework of Action to Support Implementation of the Harkin-Engel Protocol. Abidjan, September 13, 2010. https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ILAB/legacy/files/CocoaFrameworkAction.pdf
- Senator Thomas Harkin, Congressman Eliot Engel, USDOL, Government of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, Government of the Republic of Ghana, and International Cocoa and Chocolate Industry. Declaration of Joint Action to Support Implementation of the Harkin-Engel Protocol. Abidjan, September 13, 2010. http://www.dol.gov/ilab/projects/summaries/GhanaSignedDeclaration.pdf
- Congressman Eliot Engel, USDOL, Government of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Government of the Republic of Ghana, and the International Chocolate and Cocoa Industry. Child Labor Cocoa Coordinating Group (CLCCG) 2017 Annual Report. Washington, DC. 2017. https://www.dol.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ilab/CLCCG2017AnnualReport.pdf
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. Minerals and Mining Policy of Ghana. Enacted: February 2016. https://www.extractiveshub.org/servefile/getFile/id/798
- Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development. Strategy on Anti-Child Labor and Trafficking in Fisheries. November 2016. Source on file.
- Government of the Republic of Ghana, and Government of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire. Joint Declaration of the First Ladies of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire and the Republic of Ghana on the Fight Against Cross-Border Child Trafficking and the Worst Forms of Child Labour. Enacted: September 13, 2016. Source on file.
- Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations. National Employment Policy. November 2014. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---africa/---ro-abidjan/---ilo-abuja/documents/publication/wcms_373458.pdf
- CLCCG. CLCCG REPORT: 2010-2020 Efforts to Reduce Child Labor in Cocoa. 2020. https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ILAB/reports/CLCCG-Ten-Year-Report.pdf
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- Hamel, Reid. A Role for Social Protection Investments to Support Food and Nutrition Security: Lessons from Ghana. February 2018. https://www.globalcommunities.org/publications/2018_Ghana_CSIS_Hamel_SocialProtection.pdf
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- The Herald. COCOBOD's Massive Interventions to Farmers Revealed. October 10, 2016. Source on file.
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