Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports
Ghana
Moderate Advancement
In 2021, Ghana made moderate advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The government developed a Public-Private Partnership framework to address child labor in the cocoa industry. The government also drafted a new national plan of action to eliminate human trafficking, and the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection developed a communications strategy to guide outreach efforts on human trafficking issues for the years 2022–2026. However, children in Ghana are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including in fishing and cocoa production and harvesting. Prohibitions related to the commercial sexual exploitation of children do not meet international standards because, while Ghana does criminally prohibit the use, procuring, and offering of a child for electronic performances, the law does not extend to live performances. 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. Lastly, 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. (1,2,3) In addition, NORC at the University of Chicago released a report detailing findings from a sectorally representative survey conducted in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire 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. (4) Table 1 provides key indicators on children’s work and education in Ghana. Data on some of these indicators are not available from the sources used in this report.
|
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, 2022. (5)
Source for all other data: International Labor Organization's analysis of statistics from Ghana Living Standard Survey (GLSS), 2016–2017. (6)
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 (1-3,6-10) |
|
Production of palm oil and cotton, including weeding, and harvesting (11) |
|
|
Herding livestock, including cattle, hunting, and work in slaughterhouses (12) |
|
|
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 (1-3,8,11,13,14) |
|
|
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† (3,7,8,15) |
|
Manufacturing† (7,10) |
|
|
Construction and carrying heavy loads (1,7,10) |
|
|
Services |
Domestic work (2,3,9) |
|
Transporting heavy loads as kayayei† (3,16,17) |
|
|
Work in transportation† (10) |
|
|
Street work,† including begging (3,7) |
|
|
Categorical Worst Forms of Child Labor‡ |
Commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking (1,3,9,12,18-20) |
|
Forced labor in begging; agriculture, including cocoa; herding; fishing; artisanal gold mining; domestic work; and street work, including vending and carrying heavy loads (1,3,12,19-23) |
|
|
Forced ritual servitude for girls known as trokosi, including in domestic work for priests (8,18,21) |
† 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 subjected 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. (3,4,12,22-24) Children also use sharp tools and are exposed to agro-chemicals while working in the cocoa sector. (7) 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, are particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse and exploitation. (3,16,17)
According to the Constitution and the Education Act, primary education in Ghana is free from kindergarten through high school, though only compulsory through junior high school, and a birth certificate is not needed for enrollment. However, impoverished families often struggle to pay administrative fees and to purchase school supplies, as well as purchasing uniforms, though research found that students are not prevented from enrolling due to lack of a uniform. (25-26) 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. (16,27) Although this has significantly increased the overall number of children attending school, reports suggest that opportunities to attend vocational training 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. (1,6,8,18,19,28) 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. (1,3,6,8,21) 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, and lifting birth registration requirements for enrollment. (27,29) In addition, the government operates 14 national schools for visually and hearing impaired students. (26,28)
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 and 92 of the Children’s Act (30) |
|
Minimum Age for Hazardous Work |
Yes |
18 |
Section 91 and 92 of the Children’s Act (30) |
|
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 and 92 of the Children’s Act; Article 58 of the Labor Act (25,30-33) |
|
|
Prohibition of Forced Labor |
Yes |
Articles 16.1 and 16.2 of the Constitution; Articles 116 and 117 of the Labor Act; Sections 1–3 and 42 of the Human Trafficking Act; Sections 1 and 2 of the Human Trafficking Prohibition Legislative Instrument (25,31,34,35) |
|
|
Prohibition of Child Trafficking |
Yes |
Sections 1 and 2 of the Human Trafficking Act; Sections 1 and 2 of the Human Trafficking Prohibition Legislative Instrument; Articles 21–25 of the Labor Regulations Legislative Instrument (32,34,35) |
|
|
Prohibition of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children |
No |
Sections 101A, 107, 108, 110–111, 274–277, and 279–283 of the Criminal Offenses Act; Article 7(2) of the Labor Regulations Legislative Instrument; Section 136 of the Electronic Transaction Act; Section 62-66 of the Cybersecurity Act. (32,36-38) |
|
|
Prohibition of Using Children in Illicit Activities |
No |
||
|
Minimum Age for Voluntary State Military Recruitment |
Yes |
18 |
Ghana Armed Forces General Eligibility (Recruits) (39) |
|
Prohibition of Compulsory Recruitment of Children by (State) Military |
Yes* |
Ghana Armed Forces General Eligibility (Recruits) (39) |
|
|
Prohibition of Military Recruitment by Non-state Armed Groups |
No |
||
|
Compulsory Education Age |
Yes |
15‡ |
Article 2.2 of the Education Act (40) |
|
Free Public Education |
Yes |
Article 25.1.a of the Constitution; Articles 1.1, 1.2, and 2.2 of the Education Act (25,40) |
* Country has no conscription (39)
‡ Age calculated based on available information (40)
While Ghana does criminally prohibit the use, procuring, and offering of a child for electronic pornographic performances, the law does not extend to live pornographic performances. 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. (1,29,32,41) In addition, the law also does not prohibit the use of children for illicit activities, including for the production and trafficking of drugs.
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. (16) 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) |
|
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. (1,29) Through social services subcommittees, enforce child labor provisions in the informal sector. (1,30) |
|
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. (1,42) Through its Ghana Immigration Service, combats human trafficking through Anti-Human Smuggling and Trafficking Units. (1,43) |
|
Ministry of Justice’s Office of the Attorney General |
Addresses 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. (44) |
|
Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MOGCSP) |
Addresses child labor and leads government efforts to prevent 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. (8) Through its Human Trafficking Secretariat, oversees the creation, implementation, and review of human trafficking policies and ensures proper monitoring, evaluation, and data collection. (1) Organized 6 stakeholder consultative meetings and engagements to review and develop the New National Plan of Action (NPA); developed a communications strategy for the years 2022–2026 on human trafficking issues; and organized 4 capacity building trainings for over 200 law enforcement officers on human trafficking and irregular migration. (23) |
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. (2,3)
The Office of the Attorney General is responsible for prosecuting child trafficking violations; however, there were an insufficient number of state attorneys designated to prosecute human trafficking crimes. A majority of cases were handled by the Ghana Police Service's police prosecutors, whose lack of advanced legal training may impede their ability to prosecute complex criminal cases. (26,45,46) 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)
Labor Law Enforcement
In 2021, labor law enforcement agencies in Ghana took actions to address 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 insufficient resource allocation.
|
Overview of Labor Law Enforcement |
2020 |
2021 |
|---|---|---|
|
Labor Inspectorate Funding |
Unknown (2) |
Unknown (3) |
|
Number of Labor Inspectors |
62 (47) |
48 (3) |
|
Mechanism to Assess Civil Penalties |
Yes (31) |
Yes(31) |
|
Initial Training for New Labor Inspectors |
Yes (47) |
Yes (3) |
|
Training on New Laws Related to Child Labor |
N/A (2) |
N/A (3) |
|
Refresher Courses Provided |
Yes (2) |
Yes (3) |
|
Number of Labor Inspections Conducted |
213 (47) |
749 (3) |
|
Number Conducted at Worksite |
Unknown (2,47) |
749 (3) |
|
Number of Child Labor Violations Found |
8 (2,47) |
0 (3) |
|
Number of Child Labor Violations for Which Penalties Were Imposed |
No (2,47) |
N/A (3) |
|
Number of Child Labor Penalties Imposed that Were Collected |
No(2,47) |
N/A (3) |
|
Routine Inspections Conducted |
Yes (47) |
Yes (3) |
|
Routine Inspections Targeted |
Unknown (2) |
Yes (3) |
|
Unannounced Inspections Permitted |
Yes (31) |
Yes (31) |
|
Unannounced Inspections Conducted |
Yes (47) |
Yes (3) |
|
Complaint Mechanism Exists |
Yes (47) |
Yes (3) |
|
Reciprocal Referral Mechanism Exists Between Labor Authorities and Social Services |
Yes (2,47) |
Yes (3) |
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. (1,3,26,48) 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. (49) 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. (1,2,29) 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 2021, criminal law enforcement agencies in Ghana took actions to address child labor (Table 7). However, gaps exist within the operations of the criminal law enforcement agencies that may hinder adequate criminal law enforcement, including insufficient allocation of financial resources.
|
Overview of Criminal Law Enforcement |
2020 |
2021 |
|---|---|---|
|
Initial Training for New Criminal Investigators |
Unknown (2,47) |
Yes (3) |
|
Training on New Laws Related to the Worst Forms of Child Labor |
N/A (2) |
N/A (3) |
|
Refresher Courses Provided |
Yes (2) |
Unknown (3) |
|
Number of Investigations |
119 (2) |
Unknown (3) |
|
Number of Violations Found |
Unknown (2,47) |
265 (3) |
|
Number of Prosecutions Initiated |
Unknown (2,47) |
16 (3) |
|
Number of Convictions |
8 (2) |
3 (3) |
|
Imposed Penalties for Violations Related to the Worst Forms of Child Labor |
Yes (2) |
Unknown (3) |
|
Reciprocal Referral Mechanism Exists Between Criminal Authorities and Social Services |
Yes (2) |
Yes (3) |
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 Ghana Police Service's Marine Police Unit only recently acquired boats for patrol for forced labor in fishing. (19,50)
During the reporting period, the Government of the Republic of Ghana sponsored multiple training events to help address trafficking in persons. There were also improvements to communication procedures between several agencies that allowed rescuers to adequately prepare for the arrival of victims. (23)
The IOM developed a Trafficking in Persons Information System to improve case tracking. While several ministries, including 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, have committed to using this system, research shows limited use of the Trafficking in Persons Information System during the reporting period. (1)
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 address 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. (1,51) Led by MELR’s Child Labor Unit, includes representatives from other ministries, employers’ and workers’ organizations, and civil society. (1,51-53) During the reporting period, the committee met on a quarterly basis and increased anti-trafficking prevention efforts. (23) |
|
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. (1,26) Research was unable to determine the activities undertaken by this coordinating body during the reporting period. |
|
Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations Child Labor Unit |
Facilitates the development of policies and laws to prevent child labor, coordinates interventions to address child labor, and oversees child protection committees at the district level. (51,54) 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, the Ministry participated in the fifth global conference on the elimination of child labor. (55) |
|
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. (26,23) |
The government has established policies related to child labor (Table 9). However, policy gaps exist that hinder efforts to address child labor, including a lack of 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. (7,45,52) A new National Plan of Action has been developed to cover the period between 2022 to 2026 to eliminate human trafficking in Ghana, but has yet to be finalized. (56) |
|
National Plan of Action for the Elimination of Human Trafficking in Ghana (2017–2021) |
Aimed 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. (57) A new National Plan of Action for 2022–2026 has been developed to eliminate human trafficking in Ghana, but has yet to be finalized. (23) |
|
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. (33,41) 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. (58-60) Provides resources and coordinates with key stakeholders on efforts to reduce the worst forms of child labor in cocoa-producing areas. (58,59) Ensures that all project efforts implemented under the Declaration and Framework align with Ghana’s national action plans to promote coherence and sustainability. (58-60) During the reporting period, a Public-Private Partnership framework was developed to address child labor in the cocoa industry. In addition, USDOL-funded projects and some industry-funded projects carried out activities in support of this policy during the reporting period. (3,26) |
|
Minerals and Mining Policy of Ghana |
Prohibits child labor in mining and stipulates children who visit mining sites must be supervised. (61) 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. (42,63)
Over the first six months of 2021, the EU multi-stakeholder dialogue for sustainable cocoa level have had a series of roundtables, so-called Cocoa Talks, which delved into significant dimensions of sustainability which include efforts to address child labor. (64)
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. (19)
In 2021, 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 inadequate funding and the inadequacy 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 address 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. (60) Research was unable to determine whether activities were undertaken to implement these social programs during the reporting period. |
|
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; and the Sustainable Fisheries Management Project (2014–2020), a $24 million USAID-funded project implemented by University of Rhode Island's Coastal Resource Center; a $2.1 million USDOS funded project implemented by the International Justice Mission to Strengthening the Criminal Justice System’s Response to Human Trafficking in Ghana (2019-2023). (16,56,65,66) |
|
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. (43,67) During the reporting period, technical and vocational skills trainings were provided by the Assist Kayayei program. (56) |
|
Educational Programs† |
Ministry of Education-funded programs under the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education aim to increase school attendance and enrollment. (68) 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. (67,69) During the reporting period, the program fed 3,448,065 pupils in 10,832 public basic schools. (56) |
|
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 (2017–2022), a $3.4 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 $3.4 million project implemented by NORC at the University of Chicago, and the ILO Global Accelerator Project, a $10 million project implemented by the ILO. (4) Additional information is available on the USDOL website. |
† 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. (46,69,70,71)
Research indicates a lack of funding as one of the primary obstacles in implementing programs to address child labor. (1,3,43) 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. (1,21,26)
During the reporting period, the EU contributed $27.1 million to the sustainability of cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Cameroon. The purpose of this project is to provide decent living income for farmers, reverse the effects of deforestation, and eliminate child labor. (72)
Although the government has worked closely with industry, NGOs, and international organizations to implement child labor programs in cocoa production, fishing, and mining, the breadth of these programs remains insufficient to address the scope of the problem. (3) In addition, other areas that required further government attention included provisioning shelters in more regions and districts and providing adequate funding and logistics for rescue operations and victim protection. (19)
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 – 2021 |
|
Ensure that laws criminally prohibit all forms of commercial sexual exploitation of children including, use of children in live performances. |
2009 – 2021 |
|
|
Ensure that laws criminally prohibit the use of children in all illicit activities, including for the production and trafficking of drugs. |
2016 – 2021 |
|
|
Ensure that the law criminally prohibits the recruitment of children under age 18 by non-state armed groups. |
2015 – 2021 |
|
|
Update the hazardous work list for children to cover all hazardous types of work outlined in ILO C. 182. |
2020 – 2021 |
|
|
Enforcement |
Ensure that prosecutors who have received sufficient legal training oversee and lead the prosecution of cases involving the worst forms of child labor, that an adequate number of state attorneys are available to prosecute cases, and that these cases are prosecuted according to the law. |
2015 – 2021 |
|
Publish information on the amount of funding allocated to the labor inspectorate. |
2009 – 2021 |
|
|
Ensure that labor inspectors and criminal investigators have adequate resources, including office space, transportation, and supplies, to adequately carry out their mandates throughout the country. |
2009 – 2021 |
|
|
Ensure that labor inspectors receive adequate training. |
2014 – 2021 |
|
|
Publish data on number of child labor investigations conducted and penalties imposed. |
2019 – 2021 |
|
|
Significantly increase the number of labor inspectors to meet the ILO’s technical advice. |
2010 – 2021 |
|
|
Strengthen and fully fund the mechanism to track cases of child labor for referral between law enforcement and social services providers. |
2019 – 2021 |
|
|
Improve communication and coordination among criminal enforcement agencies to prosecute cases of the worst forms of child labor and provide adequate victim support. |
2015 – 2021 |
|
|
Ensure that the Trafficking in Persons Information System is used and publish any related activities. |
2020 – 2021 |
|
|
Ensure that Criminal Enforcement agencies have the resources to properly monitor sectors in which the worst forms of child labor are known to occur. |
2021 |
|
|
Coordination |
Ensure that all coordinating bodies are active and able to carry out their intended mandates. |
2013 – 2021 |
|
Government Policies |
Ensure that activities are undertaken to implement government policies and that data on these activities are published during the reporting period. |
2013 – 2021 |
|
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 and physical violence in schools. |
2010 – 2021 |
|
Ensure that opportunities such as vocational training are available to secondary school students enrolled in the dual-track system. |
2019 – 2021 |
|
|
Ensure that social programs are active and receive sufficient funding to carry out their objectives. |
2014 – 2021 |
|
|
Expand the availability of government-supported shelter services for child victims and ensure that all shelters are operational. |
2016 – 2021 |
|
|
Replicate and expand effective models for addressing exploitative child labor in the cocoa, fishing, and mining sectors. |
2009 – 2021 |
- U.S. Embassy- Accra. Reporting. January 14, 2020.
- U.S. Department of State. Reporting. February 25, 2021.
- U.S. Embassy- Accra. Reporting. February 23, 2022
- NORC at the University of Chicago. Assessing Progress in Reducing Child Labor in Cocoa Growing Areas of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. October 2020. Source on File.
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, both sexes (%). Accessed March 3, 2022. For more information, please see "Children's Work and Education Statistics: Sources and Definitions" in the Reference Materials section of this report.
http://data.uis.unesco.org/ - 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 2022. Children's Work and Education Statistics: Sources and Definitions.
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. National Plan of Action Phase II (NPA2) for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Ghana (2017–2021): Toward Achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8.7. 2016.
https://www.unicef.org/ghana/reports/national-plan-action-eliminate-worst-forms-child-labour - UN Human Rights Council. Summary of Stakeholders’ submissions on Ghana – Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. A/HRC/WG.6/28/GHA/3. August 8, 2017.
http://daccess-ods.un.org/access.nsf/Get?Open&DS=A/HRC/WG.6/28/GHA/3&Lang=E - 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.
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. Living Standard Survey 7 Main Report. June 2019.
http://www.statsghana.gov.gh/gssmain/fileUpload/pressrelease/GLSS7 MAIN REPORT_FINAL.pdf - Abranoma, Nyarko. Child labor on the rise in fishing, oil palm sector despite decrease in cocoa sector – ICI. Ghana Web, November 9, 2018.
https://www.ghanamma.com/2018/11/09/child-labour-on-the-rise-in-fishing-oil-palm-sector-despite-decrease-in-cocoa-sector-ici/ - Nordic Consulting Group A/S, and JMK Consulting Ltd. "Growing Up Free" Baseline Report. February 14, 2017. Source on file.
- Arkoh, Issac. More than 49,000 children trapped in child labour on Volta Lake. Ghana News Agency, July 29, 2018.
https://www.ghanamma.com/2018/07/29/more-than-49000-children-trapped-in-child-labour-on-volta-lake/ - CBS News. CBS News meets kids caught in the net of modern slavery. CBS Interactive Inc. October 12, 2021.
https://www.yahoo.com/now/cbs-news-meets-kids-caught-135117103.html - Government of the Republic of Ghana. Ghana Living Standards Survey Round 6 (GLSS6) Main Report. August 2014.
https://www2.statsghana.gov.gh/glss6.html - U.S. Embassy- Accra. Reporting, February 5, 2019.
- Wemakor, Joseph Kobla. Ending woes of Kayayei in Ghana: A fight we must all strive to win. GhanaWeb, July 11, 2018.
https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/Ending-woes-of-Kayayei-in-Ghana-A-fight-we-must-all-strive-to-win-667724# - UN Human Rights Council. Compilation on Ghana - Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. A/HRC/WG.6/28/GHA/2. August 28, 2017.
http://daccess-ods.un.org/access.nsf/Get?Open&DS=A/HRC/WG.6/28/GHA/2&Lang=E - U.S. Embassy- Accra Reporting. February 19, 2020.
- U.S. Embassy- Accra. Reporting. March 19, 2021.
- 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 - U.S. Embassy- Accra. TIP Reporting. February 7, 2022.
- Government of the Republic of Ghana, Ministry of the Interior. National Migration Policy for Ghana. April 2016.
https://www.mint.gov.gh/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/National_Migration_Policy_for_Ghana.pdf - Government of the Republic of Ghana. Constitution of the Republic of Ghana. Enacted: 1992.
https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Ghana_1996.pdf?lang=en - U.S. Embassy- Accra Official. 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 - 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. 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 - Government of the Republic of Ghana. Electronic Transaction Act. 2008.
https://www.researchictafrica.net/countries/ghana/Electronic_Transactions_Act_no_772:2008.pdf - Government of the Republic of Ghana. Cybersecurity Act. 2020.
https://csdsafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Cybersecurity-Act-2020-Act-1038.pdf - Ghana Armed Forces. General Eligibility (Recruits). Accessed May 4, 2022.
https://ghanadmission.com/ghana-armed-forces-recruitments/ - 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 - Government of the Republic of Ghana. Hazardous Child Labour Activity Framework for the Cocoa Sector. Enacted: June 2008.
https://www.cocoainitiative.org/sites/default/files/resources/hazardous_ghana_framework_2008.pdf - Government of the Republic of Ghana. Child and Family Welfare Policy. Accra: Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, February 2015. Source on file.
- 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 official. E-mail communication to USDOL official. July 11, 2019.
- 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/ - UN. World Economic Situation and Prospects 2017 Statistical Annex. New York, 2017. Please see "Labor Law Enforcement: Sources and Definitions" in the Reference Materials section of this report.
http://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/publication/2017wesp_full_en.pdf - UNDOC. UNODC and Japan Donate Two Patrol Boats to Ghana. July 13, 2018.
https://www.unodc.org/westandcentralafrica/en/2018-07-13_patrol-boats-to-ghana.html#:~:text=Alligator boats donated to the,the country as a whole - 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. 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.
- Government of the Republic of Ghana, Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare. Institutional and Management Framework for the National Child Labour Elimination Programme: The National Steering Committee on Child Labour- Terms of Reference. 2010. Source on file.
- 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.
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. GHANA PARTICIPATES IN THE 5TH GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON THE ELIMINATION OF CHILD LABOUR. May 26, 2022
https://melr.gov.gh/ghana-participates-in-the-5th-global-conference-on-the-elimination-of-child-labour-by-charlotte-hanson/ - USDOL. Official correspondence with USDOL. July 1, 2022 Source on File.
- Government of the Republic of Ghana. National Plan of Action for the Elimination of Human Trafficking in Ghana (2017–2021). 2016.
https://www.unicef.org/ghana/media/1851/file/National Plan of Action for the Elimination of Human Trafficking in Ghana.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. 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.mincom.gov.gh/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Mineral-and-Mining-Policy-Ghana.pdf - 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.
- European Commission. EU multi-stakeholder dialogue for sustainable cocoa January 2021
https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/publication/cocoa-talks-eu-virtual-roundtables-sustainable-cocoa_en#:~:text=Publication | 25 January 2021 Cocoa Talks -,sustainable cocoa production in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. - Ackon-Mensah, Joseph. US threatens to cut aid to Ghana over child labour menace. citifmonline, June 15, 2017.
http://citifmonline.com/2017/06/15/us-threatens-to-cut-aid-to-ghana-over-child-labour-menace/ - IOM Child Protection Compact Partnership - Ghana Washington, DC
https://www.state.gov/child-protection-compact-partnerships-ghana/ - Hamel, Reid. A Role for Social Protection Investments to Support Food and Nutrition Security: Lessons from Ghana. February 2018.
https://www.csis.org/analysis/role-social-protection-investments-support-food-and-nutrition-security - 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 - UN Human Rights Council. National report submitted in accordance with paragraph 5 of the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 16/21 - Ghana. A/HRC/WG.6/28/GHA/1. August 25, 2017.
http://daccess-ods.un.org/access.nsf/Get?Open&DS=A/HRC/WG.6/28/GHA/1&Lang=E - IOM. IOM Ghana Holds Counter-Trafficking Workshops for Communities in Volta Region. November 10, 2017.
http://www.iom.int/news/iom-ghana-holds-counter-trafficking-workshops-communities-volta-region - Safo, Juliet Akyaa and Daniel Oduro-Mensah. Accra Diocese of Anglican Church organises workshop on child trafficking. July 24, 2017.
http://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/accra-diocese-of-anglican-church-organises-workshop-on-child-trafficking.html - European Commission. EU boosts sustainable cocoa production in Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Cameroon January 26, 2021
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/pt/ip_21_193
your hand? Download ILAB's Sweat & Toil App today!