As a result of the inherent gaps associated with Ghana’s fisheries law, Act 625 of 2002, Edith Efua Chidi, the Advocacy, Communication, and Brands Manager of SOS Children’s Villages, Ghana has called on the duty bearers to repeal the law.
The repeal of the existing law, she said, has been come urgent and necessary to halt the incessant and perennial child trafficking and child labour conundrum in the country’s fisheries sector.
“There are some many gaps in the fisheries law when it comes to the protection of children,” she stated.
Efua Chidi further explained that Ghana had to review the hazardous activity framework noting that the fishing sector was one of the hazardous areas that had been identified.
At a media engagement seminar held at Tema in the Greater Accra region, the Advocacy, Communication, and Brands Manager of SOS Children’s Villages, Ghana said for the past year her outfit had rolled out a programme christened, “Protecting the Future.”
The “Protection the Future” intervention according to her entails tackling child labour and child trafficking within Ghana.
As a result, she said, there was a need for SOS Children’s Villages Ghana to collaborate with the media to advocate for the repeal of the fisheries law.
Quoting a recent Ghana Statistical Services report which indicated that about 50, 000 children had been engaged in fishing on the lake at night, Efua Chidi said the fisheries sector is a big industry that should make provision for the protection of children but was disappointed that this is not the case in Ghana.
She said “When you pick the fisheries law which is the regulatory policy of the sector there is nothing on the prevention of child labour.
Children are not supposed to be on the lake fishing. They are supposed to be in the classroom studying.
Children must be in an environment that boosts childhood not in an environment that exploits them.”
On the recommendation identified by SOS Children’s Villages Ghana when it comes to the gaps in fisheries law, Efua Chidi advocated strongly for child safeguarding provisions to be embedded in the fisheries law.
Explaining further, she said, ” When a boat owner is going to license his or her boat the regulator should make sure that he or she should sign an agreement that he or she will not engage any children below the legal working age.”
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She appealed to the media to start generating conversation on child labour and child trafficking issues and also start programming to reflect issues of child protection.
With regards to the perpetrators of child labour and child trafficking menace in the country, the Advocacy, Communication, and Brands Manager of SOS Children’s Villages, Ghana called on members of the inky fraternity to investigate the above-mentioned menace and bring perpetrators to face the wrath of the law.
Source: Adovor Nutifafa
