As part of
preparations to host its first ever edition of the Radio programme dubbed ‘’
CHILD LABOUR’’ in the South Tongu District, the research team of the club on
the 15th and 16th of September, 2011 visited the offices of The
Department of Social Welfare and Facts For The Youth In The Southern
Organisation (FYSSO) at Sogakofe to ascertain the real situation on the ground
as far as the menace is concern.
DEPARTMENT OF
SOCIAL WELFARE
At exactly
thirty minutes pass the hour of ten in the morning; the team was welcomed by
the District Director in the person of Mr. Moses Kakaw who is in charge of the
Sogakofe branch of the Department of Social Welfare based on the previous day
appointment booked with his Deputy.
With the team’s
sole mission of knowing the situation on the ground, he started by introducing
us to what Child Labour is. Child labour he said is the full employment of
children, especially of those who are too young to work.
He further cited
some examples of child labour as child trafficking, streetism; hawking and cow
herding which he said were some of the predominant forms of child labour in the
district. He blamed the situation wholly on poverty and partially on the insatiable
taste on the side of most victims whose crave for money is simply outrageous.
He again revealed that, most people have also taken the practice to be a
tradition hence their engagement into it.
People who fall
victims to this act are mostly children between the ages of seven and ten
respectively.
For the effects,
he gave a scenario where a boy had his leg ran over by a vehicle in the cause
of hawking at the toll booth, a boy lost one of his eyes in the cause of milking
a cow which use its leg to hit the eyes of this boy and a whole lot.
He said the only
effort to curb the situation was in the year 2007, where under the auspices of
the District Assembly, the international labour organisation (ILO) came in with
some funds to help sensitize the South Tongu District populace on the effects
of the menace and the explore the needed solutions to it. He said the
Department was only employed to play a co-ordinating role with the support of a
seven member committee. Regrettably after the departure of the (ILO), the
initiative effectually faded out of the system. To him, he had expected the
District to continue with the program but with what he termed might have be as
a result of lack of funds as has always being the case, his expectations was to
no avail.
Part of the
success of the program he said was the establishment of a morning school for
some victims rescued from the cattle herding field. This rescued victims he
said, go to school as early as six in the morning and closes at eight thirty to
pave way for the regular students of the used school to have their turn.
He again
mentioned organisations like the African Missions and Enslavement prevention
alliance Africa (Epawa) who also came to help some years back.
The Department
he said is faced with numerous challenges in terms of logistics and funds to
carry out their duties. The only logistic with the department now was that
which was donated to it some years ago by the (ILO). Which is a motor bike and
a computer.
FACTS FOR THE
YOUTH IN THE SOUTHERN ORGANISATION
Facts for the
youth in the southern sector organisation abbreviated (FYSSO) is a rural based
NGO whose core aim is to help curb issues of child abuse in the south Tongu
District. As part of its activities since its inception has been the vigorous
action it has taken to combat child trafficking in the South Tongu District
since 2007 in conjunction with the International Migration Organisation (IMO).
During our visit,
personnel with the organisation took time off their busy schedule to explain
their work to us. It was made know to as that they are deeply into combating
child trafficking which is an aspect of child labour.
Poverty and tradition were the major reasons
blamed for the existence of the menace.
The situation
they said is very predominant in areas like Bakpa, Fieve, Toklokpo, Sokpe and other
villages in the South Tongu District. They also revealed that, the victims are
normally transported to areas like Yeji and Atebubu in the Brong Ahafo Region
of Ghana. Majority of these people who are mostly children end up working
especially the river thus fishing, farming cattle herding and a whole lot.
As to how they
go about rescuing such people, they said they do not do it alone but together
with the international migration organisation, they is a rescue team that goes
around these areas and get these children who have fallen prey to this act
after which by way of interrogations most of these people trace their routes
down to South Tongu District. They are then brought to them to enable them
trace their parents. But before this happens, most of them have to go through
series of medication and psychological training to bring them an appreciable
level where relate with others in the community without problems a situation
which was blamed on the cruel treatment meted out to them by their masters.
Aside this, they
also enrol some into various vocations and schooling. They also lend financial
supports to the parents of these rescued children.
No comments:
Post a Comment