World Day Against Child Labour: Over 1.1 million children in Ghana engaged in child labour – GSS

The 2023 Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey has revealed alarming statistics about child labour in Ghana. According to the survey, over 1.1 million children aged 5 to 17 years were involved in various forms of work during the fourth quarter of 2023, representing one in every ten children (10.3%) in this age group. Among these children, approximately 893,000 are engaged in paid employment. The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) highlighted these findings in a statement issued on June 3 to mark the World Day Against Child Labour, observed annually on June 12th. This year's theme: 'Let's Act on Our Commitments: End Child Labour,' calls for intensified efforts to eliminate child labour and protect children's rights. 'More of the children who are involved in different forms of work are males (56%). Almost half a million (458,443) of these working children are not attending school, comprising 68,500 who have never attended school and 389,943 who attended school in the past,' the GSS statement revealed . The data shows a stark contrast between urban and rural areas, with urban regions accounting for 28% (309,199) of working children, while rural areas have a significantly higher proportion at 72% (795,175). Regionally, the Ashanti Region (13.6%) has the highest percentage of working children, followed by Bono East (12.1%) and the Northern Region (11.8%). In contrast, the Ahafo Region (0.8%), Greater Accra (1.6%), and Western North (1.8%) have the lowest percentages of working children. The types of work children are engaged in vary, with 35.4% working as family help, 31.2% in farmwork, 11.7% as unpaid trainees, and 7.3% in production for their own use. Additionally, 6.2% are involved in non-farm work, 5.3% in wage work, and 2.9% in domestic, non-productive agriculture, voluntary work, or apprentice work. The survey also provided insights into the occupational distribution of child workers. Elementary occupations predominate, accounting for 60.4%, followed by craft and trade-related work (19.8%) and skil led agricultural, forestry, and fish-related work (17.7%). Service and sales workers (1.7%), plant and machine operators (0.2%), and managers (0.1%) constitute the smallest categories of working children. The services sector employs the majority (91.7%) of working children, while agriculture and industry engage 4.8% and 3.6%, respectively. Moreover, 80.4% of working children are involved in contributing family work in both agricultural and non-agricultural sectors. Unpaid apprenticeships are the second most common employment status for children at 11.7%. Additionally, 1.9% of working children are self-employed, 0.5% are paid employees, and 4.9% fall under other employment categories. Source: Ghana Web