Skip to main content

Report: 5,677 children engaged in illegal mining in Ghana

 Activities of churches and other religious centres in mining communities have been cited for be­ing one of the promoters of early marriage and child labour in the communities, a research report by Solidaridad, an international NGO, has revealed.

According to the report, since the teenagers could afford flashy marriages and naming ceremonies, church leaders in mineral commu­nities allow and officiate weddings of persons under the age of 18 and naming ceremonies of children of underage parents.

The report further stated that, such social events make illegal mining activities attractive to the teens and the children in the min­ing communities and it had led to a social competition among them.

The research, which was con­ducted within a four-month period between October 2022 and January this year, had respondents mainly from Atiwa East District in the Eastern Region as well as inputs from other stakeholders in mining communities across the country.

Discussing the report during the validation of Child Labour Eradication Framework for the Small-Scale mining sector in Accra yesterday, Dr Rita Owusu-Amank­wah, consultant for the research, said, currently, it was estimated that about 5,677 children engaged in mining activities.

Findings show that illegal small-scale mining activities are done by people of all age groups; adults, youth, and children even though it is dominated by males, especially the youth.

Both migrants and indigenous people are engaged in the mining activities. Only few females (rela­tively to their male counterparts) are engaged in mining

because of the belief that menstruation is a bad omen to find gold,” she added.

Children in mining, she ex­plained, were mainly engaged in illegal activities because the law does not permit mining companies to employ children.

 

Dr Owusu-Amankwah said the situation exposes the children to the hazardous nature of the work of mining, its impact on their health and education, and post a negative image of Ghana’s gold on the international gold market.

She noted that, although several laws and policy measures have been put in place with the aim of realising constitutional and moral obligations for the protection of children from abuse and exploita­tion, the practice still persists in mining communities.

She referred to the implemen­tation of the National Plan of Action (NPA) 1 and 2, Strategy on Anti Child labour and Trafficking in Fisheries, and Caring Gold Min­ing Project for the Mining Sector as some of the interventions which was helping to address the menace.

The Framework, being devel­oped, she said, was aimed at imple­menting holistic, well-integrated, consistent, multi stakeholder and high-yielding interventions that would lead to the reduction of child labour by 50 per cent in the mining sector by 2027.

Dr Owusu-Amankwah noted that, the framework would focus on promoting community-driven efforts to implement interventions that would improve the wellbeing of children and develop systems for identifying and analysing cases of child labour and forced labour for effective remediation and fol­low-up actions.

She said it would further strengthen the capabilities of both institutions and actors at all levels to implement interventions to address child labour in an efficient manner and increase accessibility of poor families to the current social programmes and productive inclusion initiatives that provide sustainable livelihood possibilities.

Fafanyo Kukubor Amegavi, Gender and International Affairs Officer, Minerals Commission, said the Commission was aware of ille­gal practices including child labour in the small scale mining sector adding that it was working with all stakeholders to address it.

She said the Framework would help in streamlining all activities aimed at curtailing child labour and all other illegal practices

Rosemary Addico, Programmes Manager, Solidaridad, said the framework was a needed step towards the eradication of child labour in the small scale mining sector.

She said the organisation was committed to working with all stakeholders to tackle the menace within the sector.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Nestlé Ghana Limited Wins Overall Best Industrial Company Of The Year at 13th AGI Industry & Quality Awards

  Nestlé Ghana Limited has been honored with four prestigious awards at the 13th Association of Ghana Industry and Quality Awards ceremony. The event, held in an esteemed setting, gathered prominent figures from Ghana’s industrial sector. Amidst the anticipation, Nestlé Ghana emerged as one of the evening’s notable winners, securing accolades in several key categories. This recognition underscores Nestlé Ghana’s relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation, marking a significant milestone that highlights the company’s substantial contributions to the manufacturing industry in Ghana. Nestlé Ghana's exceptional performance was acknowledged with the following awards: Overall Best National Quality Award, Diamond Category (Food) Overall Best Practices in Sustainable Manufacturing Best Company (Food Sector) Overall Industrial Company of the Year, affirming its status as a leader not only within the food sector but also across Ghana's entire industrial landscape. This success is a ...

Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mine tops 2024 Sustainability & Social Investment Awards

 AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine has confirmed its status as sustainability champions by sweeping nine awards, the most won by a company at the 2024 Sustainability & Social Investment Awards (SSI) held at Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra. The feat comes on the heels of a dominant performance in last year's event where AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine swept seven awards. The SSI Awards organised by Ianmatsun Global Services recognizes the most outstanding sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives in the country and beyond as well as the best teams and individuals who brought them to life. This year's event, which was the 8th edition, was under the theme "Climate Action Now: Accelerating Decarbonization and Building Resilience". The awards won by AngloGold Ashanti on the night include SSI Company of the Year, Best Company in Women Empowerment (project), SSI Company of the Year ( Environment), Best Co...

Zoomlion Advocates Community & Gender inclusive waste management for Climate Action at COP 29

 Africa's waste management giant, Zoomlion Ghana Limited has advocated for an integrated approach to waste management that considers the interest of community members, women and vulnerable groups. James Deku, a Communications Officer of Zoomlion Ghana Limited made this call at the 29th session of the Conference Of Parties (COP 29) of the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) at Azerbaijan, Baku whiles speaking on the topic "Community-Driven and Gender Inclusive approaches to waste management for Climate Action ". He said the waste sector is a major contributor of methane emissions which is a potent greenhouse gas causing climate change hence the need to manage waste in a manner that considers the interest of all stakeholders. Zoomlion's waste management model is designed and operated in a manner that considers the interest of all stakeholders. Through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, local authorities engage community members in clea...