From Geoffrey Buta, Tamale.
It is heart breaking to see and to know that Parents think
more about money than the welfare of their children. This is a harsh reality to
know that this is happening around the world and specifically in Tamale, where
some parents allow their kids as young as four years to be selling in the rain
in the name of poverty.
Child labor in Ghana presents great challenges, although the
Children’s Act provides ages for admission to employment, proscribes labor
which exploits the child by deprivation of health, education or development,
working children are a common phenomenon, especially in Northern Region and its
rural communities.
More children between the ages of 5-17years are engaged in
economic activity where hawking shepherding of cattle and sheep, fishing, crop
farming are the common child labor activities in the urban areas.
Hawking among School going children especially girls in the
Tamale Metropolis is springing up rapidly as the life of such children are
exposed to road accident, child abuse and other dangerous activities.
Some of these girls sell from morning to 9 pm in the night
as shown in the photograph.
Most of these girls were photographed during school going
hours where schools have resume who should be in school, were seen hawking on
the streets.
Some of the children had different stories to tell when I
interviewed them.
These children are among 27 million people in slavery in the
world who have been engaged in modern day slavery who deserve the same right,
dignity and respect in their lives to enjoy the basic human right.
Many of these children have been trick by force promises, of
good education a better job, only to find they are forced to work and abuse.
The girl above don't even know the price of roasted groundnut she is selling.
These children are among 27 million people in slavery in the
world who have been engaged in modern day slavery who deserve the same right,
dignity and respect in their lives to enjoy the basic human right.
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