Boinzan: ComCA Ghana, a non-governmental organization, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), has commemorated the 2026 World Day Against Child Labour in Boinzan, located in the Juaboso District of the Western North Region.
According to Ghana News Agency, the event was themed 'Red Card to Child Labour, Fair Play for Children, Decent Work for Adults' and brought together traditional authorities, school children, and officials from the National Commission for Civic Education. The focus was on ending child labour, especially in mining communities. Mr. Divine Todzo, Finance and Administrative Manager of ComCA Ghana, shared that the organization had distributed educational materials to over 140 pupils in the Juaboso and Bia East districts and had established 22 Village Savings and Loans schemes for farmer cooperatives.
He mentioned that these interventions were positively impacting the community, with students no longer staying home due to a lack of learning materials. Parents were now able to access loans to expand their livelihoods, reducing the pressure to send their children to illegal mining sites, commonly known as galamsey.
Mr. Bismarck Quartey, National Coordinator of the Accelerating the Elimination of Child Labour in Cocoa and Artisanal Mining Value Chains programme at ILO, emphasized the need for 'fair play' for children and decent work for adults to support their families. He highlighted that while the law does not entirely prohibit children from working, it restricts them to a maximum of four hours a day, ensuring that the work does not impact their health or education.
He also stressed that galamsey sites are hazardous, and children under 18 are strictly prohibited from entering or participating in mining activities.