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The General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called for a comprehensive and integrated approach to tackling child labour in the fishing and farming communities.

Mr Andrews Tagoe, Deputy General Secretary of GAWU who made the call, said it was important for effective collaboration between government agencies, NGOs, Civil Society Organizations and Trade unions to initiate and implement efficient strategies that would help eliminate child labour in Ghanaian society.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi, Mr Tagoe said effective collaboration was crucial in addressing child labour in the informal sector.

He said the International Labour Organisation, (ILO), had indicated that the informal economy had implications for policy and administration in respect of employment, social security, health and safety as well as migration, education, employment relations and microeconomic policy.

“It’s therefore important for government agencies which were mandated to address these issues, to find a way of sharing information and better coordinate their activities with other organizations in the sector to achieve positive results,” Mr Tagoe advised.

He called on trade union educators to collaborate with government actors at the national, district and village levels to work towards eliminating child labour on farms.

“Trade unions have a role to play in cooperating with government agencies and organised non-governmental organisations in ensuring that the appropriate labour inspection and regulatory systems identify those subjected to forced labour.”

Mr Tagoe said preventing hazardous work was particularly important in rural communities where forced labour often occurred on farms, quarries, and mining sites that were remote and hard to reach, 

He called on the media to allow some time to raise awareness on child labour issues to help educate the public on its effect on the economy and society.