09/06/2017
IAMMIA-AFRICA'S PRESS STATEMENT TO MARK THE WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOR
FOR IMMIDIATE RELEASE,
Ghana’s constitution defined child, as a person below the age of 18 years. Children therefore forms part of the vulnerable groups in Society such as women, Persons with Disability who without physical and economic support from parents and society in general, cannot survive or enjoy their living.
A recent research on Ghana’s Demographic profile (2016) shows that, 38.2% of Ghana’s population is made of children. This is further breaks down to 5,164,505 males and 5,113,185 females.
The 1998 Children’s act 560 (2) prohibits any person from exploiting children in labor. Clause 87 of the same act talks against engaging children in any form of work, Day or Night that are harmful to their health.
However, despite all these provisions in the supreme constitution of Ghana, the society (parents, Guardians, schools, industries, etc.) still engage children in all forms of labor. Also findings of a research conducted by Tulane University during the 2013–2014 harvest season, claimed that, Children in Ghana are engaged in the worst forms of child labor, including in fishing and harvesting cocoa, with an estimated 918,543 child laborers between the ages 5 to 17 in the cocoa sector.
The Ghanaian child is still used in fishing, Mining and quarrying, Porterage of heavy loads, working at manufacturing industries and among other labors which are clear violation of the fundamental human rights of the Child.
However, IAMMIA-AFRICA as a civil society organization which believes that, the media has a key responsibility in advocating for the protection of fundamental human rights of children through their medium.
The NGO is of the view that, high quality media content and public debate that is inclusive of child voices, expert advocates, and that explains policy issues relating to Children in editorials can contribute to wider efforts to improve the environment for protecting and promoting the rights of children.
Ironically, the Ghanaian media for the past two years concentrated highly on political issues in its editorials, relegating the other critical social issues relating to children.
The media which is often noted as the ‘voice for the voiceless’, in 2015 to 2016 spent almost all their space on politics in the midst of the several challenges facing children in Ghana and Africa as a whole.
IAMMIA-AFRICA as part of our efforts to mark this year’s World Day Against Child Labor, conducted research aimed at assessing the level of commitment by the gatekeepers in projecting issues of children in Ghana using two variables,’ child issues and non-child issues’
Out of 105 editorials that were tracked and analyzed from 10 National daily newspapers using scientifically approved method,99 (94%) were Non-Child related issues with only 6 editorials (6%) on Child issues.
The media for the said two-years used its editorials on issues of politics, economy, terrorism, National and International security etc.
This, according to IAMMIA-Africa is inappropriate since the media could have used the editorial which is a space for advocacy and public education on critical social issues such as addressing child labor, child marriage, child right.
We however, commend the editors for using their editorial in public sensitization. According to our research, 79 editorials (75%) from 2015 to 2016 were used to educate the public on peaceful elections, good environmental practices, the need for quality education and health among others with only 26 editorials (25%) were used for other purposes.
As an NGO that monitors and track contents in the media, we implore the media to play its sensitization role by promoting child related issues on its editorials to protect the rights of children in the country.
Thank you.
…………signed………………
Messan Mawugbe (PhD)
(Executive Director, IAMMIA-AFRICA)
