The Ashanti Region has the highest number of child labourers in the country.
It leads with 13.6% of children working, followed by Bono East (12.1%) and Northern (11.8%) regions. The regions with the lowest percentages are Ahafo (0.8%), Greater Accra (1.6%), and Western North (1.8%).
This forms part of the staggering 900,000 children between 5 and 17 years old who are trapped in child labour.
The statistics were released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) to mark World Day Against Child Labour on Wednesday, June 12.
Most working children (35.4%) help their families, while others are involved in farm work (31.2%), unpaid traineeships (11.7%), and self-production activities (7.3%). Non-farm work, wage work, and various other forms of work account for the rest.
In terms of occupation, 60.4% of working children are in elementary jobs, followed by craft and trade-related work (19.8%) and agricultural work (17.7%). The service sector employs the majority of these children (91.7%), with agriculture and industry employing 4.8% and 3.6%, respectively.
Additionally, 80.4% of working children contribute to family businesses, while 11.7% are in unpaid apprenticeships. A small percentage are self-employed (1.9%), paid employees (0.5%), or in other employment categories (4.9%).
Boys make up a larger proportion of working children (56%), and almost half a million (458,443) are not attending school. This includes 68,500 who have never been to school and 389,943 who dropped out. Rural areas have a significantly higher number of working children (72%) compared to urban areas (28%).
The 2023 Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey revealed that over 1.1 million children in this age group were working in various forms by the end of 2023, accounting for about 10.3% of all children in Ghana. Among these, approximately 893,000 are in paid employment.
World Day Against Child Labour, observed on June 12th each year, aims to raise awareness and prompt action to end child labour.
This year’s theme, “Let’s Act on Our Commitments: End Child Labour,” urges everyone to fulfill their promises to protect children’s rights.
By: Sandra Tetteh | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
