Documents

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

Geographical coverage (indicate name of regions and districts)

Output 3, Activity 3.3

The team comprises of Eight (8) field officers from the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, worked in ten (10) communities which include Amudurase,   Kwame Agyei, Wuruyie, Nyamebekyere , Menang, Akuaku, Ataase, Asonkore ,Afedie and ,Bronikrom  

In these communities, the team members were tasked to inaugurate the ten community child protection committees that were formed and trained of their various roles and responsibilities. Facilitators were again tasked to advocate on the need of parents to take full responsibilities of their children and also give in their full support to the committees formed in their discharge of their duties.

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

INUAGURATION AND ADVOCACY OF COMMUNITY CHILD PROTECTION COMMITTEE

During the child protection committee inauguration and advocacy section   in the ten (10) communities mentioned earlier, the team introduced the seven persons that formed the CCPC to the inhabitance that formed the durbar. The team leaders together with the Assemblymen of the various communities and the chiefs of the communities confirmed the communities and ensured them of their unflinching support in their discharge of their duties.  Nananom of aforementioned communities also made it clear to the community members of the sanctions that will be melted out to any parent/caregivers who tries to undermine the activities of the committee.

 Again during the inauguration it was realized that eight of the communities have  in place community volunteer group who normally watch over the community to ensure that children of school going age are not seen outside  at hours of  9:00 pm and beyond also pledged their support to the committee in their discharge of their duties in protecting children at the communities .The other two communities which are Akwaku and Menang   do not have the volunteer and  with the support from their chiefs have decided to form one to support the CCPC.  

During the advocacy stage of the child protection program at the community   the following issues were pertinent.

                               CHILD LABOUR

·         During the advocacy section, communities such as Wuruyie, Akwaku and Afedie are well noted for the use of children for farm work, especially during the planting and harvesting seasons. This thereby leads to low retention of students in schools, a typical evidence is the confession of a native from Wuruyie community, Madam Mariam who attest to the fact that, most of the youth drift to Fumso and Praso to emback on Kayaye just for survival.  

·         The facilitators educated the inhabitance on the need to allow their children to be in school during school hours. They went further to educate the community on the importance of enrolling their adolescents in vocational skills such as sewing, hairdressing, carpentry and others to prevent the youth from drifting into the cities.

RESOLUTION

·         In areas where child labour activities persist, the team impressed upon the Traditional Authorities (Nananom/Opinion Leaders) and the entire community to come together and stop using children for farm work. Nananom from Menang community promised to fight against the menace.

·         The teams again promised to have continuous engagement with the communities which they believe will reduce the child labor issues within the district.

·         Also, communities where there are low child labour issues, the facilitators encouraged Nananom as well as the inhabitants not to involve their children in child labour since its adverse effects on the child, development is in a large size.

ON-LINE SAFETY 

·         Another pertinent issue been encountered during advocacy phase is the use of the mobile phones/ the internet by the adolescents in the various communities. There was a clear indication that adolescents in communities such as Ataase, Amudurase and Menang abuses the use of the phone as well as the internet. Most of the youth the team interacted with in such communities lay bare what they use the internet as well as the phone: for mobile scamming, watching of pornographic films, sending of nude pictures. Among the ill aspect with the use of the mobile phones, the positive aspect cannot also be overlooked. The team engagement with most of the community school children, the students attest to the fact that, the phone/the internet is helping them with studies, connecting them also to their old friends, easy access in delivering information and other good aspect were discussed by them.

·         The team educated the community members especially the adolescent on the risks and opportunities with respect to the use of the internet. At the children level, the students were educated to avoid downloading and consuming inappropriate content but rather use it for educational purposes and also help their future development.

·         Parents/caregivers also promised to monitor their children on the use of the internet/phone

CHILD MARRIAGE

Adansi South district is inhabited by so many tribes and is equally dominated by Fantes and Ewes who on religious grounds have the believe to give in a child’s hands in marriage to avoid sexual promiscuity. During the team,s  engagement with the communities such as Asonkore and Wuruyie ,they  recorded higher rate of child marriage.A typical  example is that of a teenage girl Rukaya from Wuruyie. She openly confessed that, fathers willingly give out their children in marriage just for small favours (assisting in farm work, lending of money, buying of cigarette, giving out akpeshie) from their friends.

The team sensitized the inhabitants in all the communities visited on the need to allow their children go to school or if possible, enroll them in any form of vocation.

The team again educated the community members on the health implications on the lives of the young ones who are given into early marriage.

RESOLUTION.

The opinion leaders (Nananom) from all the communities visited pledged their support to fight against any form of child marriage henceforth with the support from CCPC

The team also made it known to the girls to take steps to report to social welfare, community development and NCCE of them being forced into early marriage for the necessary action to be taken.

The adolescent girls the team had encountered with also promised to have a good behavior and focus so much on their students in order not to get pregnant and been forced to marry

Besides, the numerous challenges been encountered due to the nature of the roads leading to the communities ,the CCPC committee formed and inaugurated are actively discharging their duties as the time they were  not inaugurated hence the possibility of them working hard in protecting children at the communities now that they have been inaugurated

·         The successes is futuristic and continuous engagement will definitely make greater impact

*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 their children basic needs hence engaging in  menial job for survival .  

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

Name :

Position:

Signed:

Date:

TEN (10)  COMMUNITIES

156

183

Child Labour

Child Neglect

7

9