The Assembly, Ayensuano district has indicated that it is determined to pursue legal action against parents who subject their kids to the menace of child labor as a result of its vehement opposition to it in the area.
Children engaged in hard labour is prevalent in rural areas especially in the farming communities.
According to the United Nations, more than 160 million children, some as young as five, are engaged in child labour across the world.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) data further shows that more than one in every four children, aged between five and 17, were engaged in labour that was considered detrimental to their health and development in least developed countries.
In Ghana, there is an average of 21 per cent of children, aged five to 17 years, involved in child labour, with 14 per cent classified as engaged in hazardous forms of labour.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) of Ayensuano in the Eastern Region, Josephine Awuku Ansah Inkoom, has established that the Assembly is bent on eradicating the menace by apprehending and prosecuting parents who engage children less than 18 years in hard labour.
The DCE, who was speaking at the World International Day Against Child Labour in Ntowkrom near Kraboa Coatal, cautioned parents against the act.
She revealed that child labour is rife in the area hence the Assembly’s move to establish a court to deal with the situation.
“Child labour is common in Ayensuano; you go to the market and you see children under 18 selling on behalf of their parents.
“Sometimes you visit schools and find that the classrooms are virtually empty because the children had gone to the farm with the patents,” she restarted.
DCE Ansah Inkoom expounded that the situation is a threat and the Assembly is ready to crack the whip on parents found culpable.
Deputy Employment and Labour Relations Minister Bright Wereko Brobbey likewise retreated to parents to desist from engaging underaged children in hard labour as it is against the law.
He underscored the need for parents to prioritize child education instead of abusing the rights of their children.