Gender
TRCPI calls for renewed action against child labour in Africa
The Founder of The Raissa Child Protection Initiative (TRCPI), Ms Raissa Sambou, has called for intensified efforts to eliminate child labour across Africa, describing the practice as a serious violation of children’s rights and a major threat to their development and future.
She urged governments, individuals, civil society organisations, religious bodies, and traditional and religious leaders to work together to protect children from all forms of labour that deprive them of their childhood, education, and well-being.
Ms Sambou made the call on Thursday as the world marked the World Day Against Child Labour, an annual observance held on June 12 to raise awareness about child labour and mobilise action towards its elimination. This year’s commemoration was observed under the theme, “Red Card to Child Labour: Fair Play for Children, Decent Work for Adults.”
According to her, child labour continues to affect thousands of children across Ghana and other parts of Africa, exposing them to exploitation and denying them opportunities to reach their full potential.
“Child labour can affect the physical, emotional and psychological well-being of children. It interrupts their education, exposes them to abuse and exploitation, increases their risk of injuries and long-term health problems, and limits their chances of breaking the cycle of poverty,” she stated.
Ms Sambou further noted that children engaged in labour often suffer from low self-esteem, social exclusion and trauma, with many unable to acquire the skills and education needed to contribute meaningfully to national development.
She stressed that protecting children was a collective responsibility and called for stronger enforcement of child protection laws, increased public awareness, and greater investment in social protection programmes for vulnerable families.
Ms Sambou also identified poverty as one of the major drivers of child labour and warned that failure to address economic hardship would continue to expose children to exploitation and other forms of abuse.
She called on policymakers to strengthen interventions aimed at reducing poverty, improving access to quality education and supporting struggling households.
“We must not allow ignorance and poverty to thrive. When poverty is not adequately addressed, it fuels child labour and other crimes against children. Let the systems work effectively to shield every child from harm and give them the opportunity to learn, grow and succeed,” she added.
The World Day Against Child Labour was established by the International Labour Organisation in 2002 to focus global attention on the need to eradicate child labour and protect the rights and welfare of children worldwide.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Gender equality should not be left to women alone, but requires the active participation of men and other stakeholders, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has said.
She said gender equality was a national development issue and not a matter concerning only women, stressing that both men and women had important roles to play in creating an inclusive society.
Dr Lartey said this last Thursday in Accra at a capacity workshop on the implementation of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024.
The workshop was aimed at helping journalists understand the provisions of the Act, strengthen their capacity to communicate gender equity issues and promote accurate, balance reporting on the implementation of the Act.
Ghana could not achieve meaningful development if one section of society was excluded from participating fully in leadership, decision-making and other areas of national development.
“It is not about a group of people. It is not about one of the sexes. It is about the nation. It is about the country,” she said.
She called for stronger commitment to translating the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121), into practical action to improve women’s participation in leadership and decision-making.
She said the passage of the law should not be considered the end of the process, but rather the beginning of deliberate efforts to ensure that its objectives were achieved.
Dr Lartey said increasing the number of women in leadership was important, but their participation must also have a meaningful impact on national development.
“We want it to count,” she stressed, calling for practical initiatives that would move the affirmative action agenda from policy to implementation.
The Executive Director of Women, Media and Change (WOMEC), Dr Charity Binka, also urged the media to play a critical role in ensuring the effective implementation of the Act.
She said Ghana had taken an important step by passing the law after 13 years of efforts, but the real test was its implementation.
According to Dr Binka, the Act requires 30 per cent representation of women in leadership and decision-making by 2026, rising to 50 per cent by 2030.
She urged the media to inform the public about the law, monitor institutions’ compliance and challenge stereotypes that undermine women’s leadership.
Dr Binka urged journalists to ensure institutions were complying with requirements, including Gender Equity Policies, Compliance Certificates and annual reports.
She said affirmative action was not about replacing merit with gender, but addressing structural barriers that had historically limited qualified women’s opportunities to participate and lead.
She called for stronger collaboration among government, civil society, traditional and religious leaders, the private sector, the media and other stakeholders to turn the law into measurable results for women and girls.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
The United Nations has warned, that Gender equality is “woefully off track.”
At the current rate of progress, gender equality would take 171 years to achieve, the UN’s Gender Snapshot report said.
The number of countries with a woman as head of state or government has increased from 2020 to 2026. “Yet six in seven countries are still led by men.
Women’s representation in national cabinets declined to 22.4 per cent in 2026, after peaking at 23.3 per cent in 2024,” the report said. “The decline is a warning sign that gains cannot be taken for granted, and that progress towards equal political power remains fragile.”
Funding for gender equality has fallen to its lowest level since 2021, the report found. At the same time, 42 per cent of UN agencies reported that their efforts to promote gender equality had been weakened, as a result of budget cuts.
Millions of women also continued to endure some extremely severe forms of violence and discrimination across the globe, the UN said. Nearly one in five girls is married before the age of 18, and nearly one in three women globally have survived partner or sexual violence in their lifetime.
In the past year, 316 million women experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner, the report said.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Li Junhua, said the statistics were not inevitable. “It is the result of choices, made visible through data. Investing in gender equality, institutions, and the statistical systems that hold them to account is not a cost. It is the fastest route back to the 2030 Agenda’s promise of equal power for all.”-GNA
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