End Modern Slavery (EMS) joined the world to celebrate World Day against Child Labor at Ayensu Ano in the Eastern Region. About 560 people attended the event, including community leaders.
The celebration was focused on educating and sensitizing people on the need to put a stop to all forms of modern slavery and its related issues.
End Modern Slavery as a non-governmental organization aimed to heal, rescue, and lift people in Africa, believes that a particular region or district is endemic with modern slavery hence they are mapping out communities with such issues with the focus for organizing Community-Based Education Forum to look for ways to end such practices.
The durbar is a grassroots type where indigenous communities are brought together and engaged in more intensive discussion on specific things that could be done to educate people on modern slavery in their various communities.
These meetings are conducted using tools such as; training manual on End Modern Slavery, End modern slavery information, brochures and anti-slavery branded, sticker as well as flip charts.
Mr. Afasi Komla, Director of Operations for Engage Now Africa (ENA) and boss of End Modern Slavery (EMS) disclosed to the media that the International Labour Organization defines Child Labour as work that is mentally, physically, socially, or morally dangerous and harmful to children; and that interference with the children schooling by depriving them of the opportunity to oblige them to leave school prematurely or by requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work.
He added that the worse forms of child labour are those based on exploitation conditions which include Child labor, Debt bondage, Domestic servitude, Sexual exploitation, and Ritual servitude.
Mr. Afasi said that the fundamental principle set out in the CRC and four main categories of children’s rights, survival rights, development rights, protection rights, and participation rights.
He explained further that according to UNICEF- Child protection refers to preventing and responding to violence, exploitation, and abuse against children. Child labour can leave many severe consequences on children and their families, which thrives in a situation where the rule of law is weak and people lack economic opportunities.
Mr. Afasi Komla said the root causes of child labour are poverty, ignorance, and the development gap between cities and villages keeps widening and the solution to the above-mentioned challenges is to educate, create awareness, advocate against child labour, and facilitate a deeper understanding of child labour in vulnerable communities and those are the steps his outfit has been taken an on daily basis to find a lasting solution to modern slavery and its related issues.
The Chief, Nene Baffuor Korle Wayo 1 of Achiansah Nubesu town noted that they are not aware of what modern slavery is so educating them became an eye-opener for desisting from such practices.
He thanked ENA and EMS for the program, saying it is useful, and promised to collaborate with them to fight against all forms of modern slavery its related issues.