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Mr. Gabriel Boadi, the Atiwa East District Director of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development (SWCD) has called on parents at Ankaase (E/R), June 29 2023, to desist from using their wards for menial jobs as it is against the laws of the land.
He made the call at a Durbar organized by the Department at Ankaase and it formed part of the “World Day Against Child Labour” observation in the Atiwa East District of the Eastern Region.
The program held in collaboration with Edmark Rescue Foundation and Rainforest Alliance, Non- Governmental Organizations, with funding from the Norwegian Government was to create awareness of the effects associated with using under aged children for manual work.
It started with a float with students and teachers from the Ankaase D/A Basic school displaying placards indicating the effects of child abuse on children and society.
Some of the displays on the placards were “We Deserve Education, Not Exploitation”, “Child Abuse is Child Labour, Say No to Child Labour” among others.
Mr. Boadi in his speech said the government’s role to eradicate child labour was key to the livelihoods of children across the country.
He said education of every school going child must seriously be considered by parents and they should desist from exploiting their children for survival.
He mentioned some of the effects of child abuse as death, school dropout, teenage pregnancy, armed robbery and others.
He therefore advised the student not to avail themselves for menial jobs that would ruin their future.
Rainforest Alliance, a Non- Governmental Organization (NGO), after the program made a donation of many items that include Notebooks, Exercise books, Pens, Erasers, Mathematical Sets, Crayons, Rulers, Markers and Sanitary Pads to help improve teaching and learning the schools.
This items were received by the Headteacher of Ankaase Presbyterian School and thanked the NGO for the donation and promised to put those items to good use.