ADDRESS BY THE HON. E. T. MENSAH, MINISTER OF EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL WELFARE AT THE TRAINING WORKSHOP FOR DATA COLLECTORS OF THE GCLMS ON 12TH JULY, 2011 AT THE TRUE VINE HOTEL, KUMASI
Mr. Chairman
Hon. Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Welfare
Distinguished Invited Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
I must say, the enthusiasm and eagerness that l have seen on the faces of the participants since my arrival here gives me added cause for optimism for our mission here. I count that a blessing – enough evidence that God is with us and will see us through.
The main reason l am here today is that we are commencing a process supervised by the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare which promises to play a unique role in the lives of the children of this country, starting with those in the cocoa producing districts.
If we agree that children are the future of any country, then it follows that the process we are starting now will have a direct impact on the future of our dear nation. It is, therefore, imperative that l should personally be here to ensure that, as the cliché goes, “no stone is left unturned” to ensure that we start on the right note.
Without doubt, education holds the key to the development of an individual, a society, or a country. Any impediment to the child’s access to education is, therefore, a threat that everyone who has the interest of the country at heart must contribute towards removing.
When this impediment to education comes in the form of work or duties imposed on the child or any assignment which compromises his/her health, safety or morals, the future of that child is jeopardized. Invariably, this affects the society and, ultimately, the whole country.
As individuals or as a people, it is important that we periodically take time off to assess whatever we are doing and check whether or not we are on track. Besides that, we should see if we can find ways to reduce the time, money and energy we need to achieve our objective; that is what progress is about.
But if we are unable to assess whatever we are doing, we should, at least, take seriously the comments of observers, for, as the popular adage goes, “the person cutting the path often does see how well he/she is doing it.”
Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, international studies in different countries indicate a strong linkage between poverty and child labour. The studies also established that child labour leads to a perpetuation of poverty. This has been confirmed by our own local experts after critical study. We should, therefore, treat it with all seriousness.
Perhaps, we should be reminded of similar assertions in the past on issues in this country: For example, there were assertions that the judicious use of fertilizer, a careful pruning of the cocoa tree or the maintenance of hygienic cocoa farms all lead to increased yields. Today, the experiences of our cocoa farmers have borne these out. In a similar manner, we are now being warned that child labour leads to a perpetuation of poverty. I don’t know of anyone who would gladly chose poverty for his or her children and descendants.
At this point, Mr. Chairman, l wish to pay homage to our local experts and implementing agencies in the fight against child labour in cocoa, which is coordinated by the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare. Through their hard work, the name of Ghana was removed by the United States Department of Labour in December, 2010 from the list of countries who use children in the production of cocoa and who, therefore, face a threat of the boycott of their cocoa beans. Again, as a result of their hard work, Ghana was elected to serve on the governing body of the ILO at its 100th Session held in Geneva, Switzerland last month - June, 2011. However, there is a lot more to do to rid our Ghanaian society of child labour in cocoa and also in the other sectors.
It is with this in mind that I welcome you who have been selected for training as data collectors in the Ghana Child Labour Monitoring System.
The Ghana Child Labour Monitoring System (GCLMS) is a dynamic process which is regularly repeated to:
- Identify children in child labour, or are at risk of it, and determine the risk to which they are exposed
- Refer them to appropriate remediation services
- Verify that they have, indeed, been removed and
- Track them to ensure that they have satisfactory and sustainable alternatives in life.
The training you are about to undergo is the beginning of the process of implementing the GCLMS and you can be proud of yourselves for being selected for the assignment. Many of you have already played some commendable roles as members of the CCPCs but your role as data collectors in the Ghana Child Labour Monitoring System (GCLMS) is unique.
The success of the GCLMS will carve a special image for Ghana in combating child labour, and lot will depend on how you approach your work after the training. I expect to see signs of this seriousness in the way you take this training programme. If you play your expected role well, you can also say in future that you were part of the process that secured a good future for the children of this country.
We all need to be diligent in our work and also get everyone in our line of duty who does not know it to appreciate that child labour perpetuates poverty. I believe it is in everyone’s interest to take the message seriously – the child, the parent and the community at large. But perhaps, most important of all, the message goes to parents and guardians; they have the responsibility to impose some self-discipline to wean themselves off dependence on labour from their children. They can do this through sacrifice.
With the enthusiasm and eagerness, l have seen in you I have high hopes that you will not let our dear nation down. l count on you to contribute your quota to ensure that the children, your communities and our dear nation Ghana all have a future everyone would be proud of.
On this note, Mr. Chairman, l declare the training programme for data collectors officially commenced. Thank you and may God bless us all as seek to do what is right for our children and mother Ghana.