ACTIVITY REPORT ON CHILD PROTECTION COMMUNITY FACILITATION ON CHILD LABOUR AWARENSS WITH YONKOPA COCOA WITH COCOA COMMUNITIES-JULY 2022

Geographical coverage (indicate name of regions and districts)

Output 3, Activity 3.3

The team comprises two (2) field officers from the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, two (2)   officer fron Yonkopa cocoa, who collaboratively worked in ten(10)  communities which included Tweapease,  Menang, Apagya, Brodeko, Wuruyie,Akutereso , Asonkore,Asarekrom, Oseikrom and kojo mankron.

In these communities, the team members were tasked to create awareness and   sensitization of child labour in the selected cocoa communities where parents, caregivers, traditional authorities were taken through various game activities and also inculcate child protection issues that affects the development of the Ghanaian Child

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 During the facilitation stage, the team engaged the target communities in durbars and focus group discussions, In the communities the team, with the help of the Child Protection community facilitation toolkits,educated the inhabitants.  

AWARENESS CREATION AND SENSITISATION OF CHILD LABOUR IN COCOA COMMUNITIES

During the period, the team created awareness and sensitization in ten (10) communities to get the rural folks informed on the dangers associated with child labor and its trickle-down effects on the individual child and economic benefit of the country. During the sensitization and awareness creation section the following communities contributed so much in child labour.

ASAREKROM

·         During the  sensitization section at Asarekrom it was recorded that most parents as well as caregivers predominantly use children for their farm work as cheap labour there by denying them the opportunity to be regular at school.This in a way has reduce retention of students who graduate from upper primary to Jhs .Child labour issues at the community has contributed to most of the children dropped out of school. The inhabitants of the community also testify to the fact that most parents do go to the schools to ask permission to send his or her child to the family which is greatly affecting their academic performance

RESOLUTION

·         In Asarekrom where child labour persist, the team impressed upon the Traditional Authorities (Nananom/Opinion Leaders) and the entire community to come together and have a lay down community by-law which will be use against anyone who uses children for their farm work during school contact hours.

·         The teams again promised to liaise with the police to intensify their operations in such communities to get parents who continue to use their wards for farm work at school hours arrested.

·         Also, the facilitators encouraged Nananom as well as the inhabitants not to accept the practice of child labour those in their communities no matter how attractive(monetary) and the ecomomic benefit(cheap labour) derive from it  .

ASONKORE

·         Another pertinent issue been encountered during the s phase at Asonkore community , is parents/caregiver  except for few ones  continuously use children for their farm work. Since Adansi South is well known to be an agrarian community, child laboring work becomes intensive during the planting and harvesting seasons there by denying children of going to school.

·         Another form of the Child labour issue realized during the activity phase is children drift from Asonkore to hawk as kayaye during Fumso market day on Thursdays. This issue has contributed to low retention of students in schools during those market days which is affecting the academic performance of students within the district.

·         Again Minors ranging from the ages of 10-15 years who use to ride the tri-cycle(okada)for monetary gains at the expense of their education.

RESOLUTION

·         The team promised the communities not to relent on their continuous education on child labor since is seen to be a district canker.

·         The team again promised to collaborate effectively with the police service to arrest minors found riding tri-cycle since is predominant in the Edubiase Township.

·         The traditional authorities also resolved to have a lay down community by laws that comes with sanctions to deal with anyone who flaunt any of the laws especially the ones which concerns child labour .

WURUYIE

Another area for discussion at Wuruyie community had to do with children who go out on their own will to serve as laborers for their monetary gains without the approval from their parents. These children on their own dropout from school and indulge in one economic venture like riding of motorbikes and also spraying of cocoa which is harmful to their wellbeing. This has contributed to low retention of students in school especially at the JHS level. During our engagement with the children during the focus group discussion most of the children also revealed that most of their parents have neglected them of their school basic needs which is making them loss interest in academic matters and has led them into fending for themselves without any support from their parents.

RESOLUTION.

·         Parents have resolved to provide for the needs of their wards who are in school to discourage them from going in to one menial job or the other.

·         The team also promised to have a continuous sensitization and also create awareness on the effects of child labour.

·         The team also made it aware to the community about the plans for forming community child protection committee which will help fight against child labour and its related child conflicting issues.

MENANG

Menang community and its Traditional Authorities are assiduously working towards the eradication of child labour  as a result of  a formidable  community child protection committee which is working day in and day out in the community in the the area of protecting the welfare of children from any form of abuse and also ensuring that all children of school going age are in school.

RESOLUTION

·         The team commended the committee of their activities towards the child’s development.

·         The parents /caregivers also promised not to neglect their responsibility on the children rather care for them and also support the CCPC to protect their children

·         Nananom as well as Opinion leaders also pledged to give in their full support to the CCPC to be able to work effectively in protecting children from any form of abuse.

Besides, children, parents, care-givers and community members in selected areas now understand and demonstrate positive behavior as a result of the continuous awareness creation on child labour    

·         The Stakeholders meeting organized yielded a greater result in the following areas:

>Nananom who were also part of the Stakeholders meeting did not also relent on their efforts in reducing child labor in their communities. Nananom from Communities such as Menang, Asonkore ,organized community forum and educated parents/caregivers not to use children for farm work and it has really reflected in the enrolment chart of such community school.

& Madam Hawa Issah from Menang community also share her interesting story with the team concerning how she use to use her children for farm work not minding the period but the teams continuous engagement with the community changed her orientation and now her girl child that she stopped using her for farm work during planting and harvest seasons passed her BECE and is now in first year at Edubiase SHS. 

Mr Samuel Asanah who is also a native of Akutereso community equally shared his story of reducing the burden he placed on his children by going to farm after school and also involving them in so many house chores. He went further to say that he now gives ample time to his children to study and it has really reflected in their academic performance.

Another interesting story that the entire community of Wuruyie testify to is that of Gabriel Maninayaa who is well known in the community as school dropout and a regular hawker (kayaye) has now return to school due to the team’s continuous engagement with the community.

·         In Asonkore community, Madam Rhinatu, who was once a victim of Child Labour, and the other being an old woman named Sara Bidannamon, have been greatly encouraged to continue their practice of child protection advocacy in the community and also strengthen this practice, due the education given

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·         Most parents have promised to monitor their children and be responsible in child upbringing

·         Children in the tri-cycle business (okada) within New Edubiase  Township is fast gaining grounds. Children drop-out from school simply because parents/caregivers believe that much financial gains is derive from such venture hence the push into it.

*Owing to the above constraints, parental neglect contributes to them all. Most parents/caregivers within the targeted communities have neglected most of their responsibilities by providing for the children,s school basic needs hence children in one menial job or the other .  

Verbal, as well as, forms were used for the monitoring and evaluation in the community engagements. The team, after every community meeting, collected verbal responses from the participants about the impact of the visits.

The responses gathered from each evaluation from community members and opinion leader formed the basis for community assessment.

Name :

Position:

Signed:

Date:

TEN (10) MONITORING COMMUNITIES

156

183

Child Labour

Child Neglect

5

7