Effect of Child Labour on the Academic Performance on School Children in the Kete-Krachi District, Ghana

Abstract

Effect of Child Labour on the Academic Performance on School Children in the Kete-Krachi District, Ghana 1. Introduction Child labour has been common practice in the world for a long time. The ILO in 1995 estimated that about 250,000,000 children ages of S and 14 in developing countries alone were victims child labour (UNICEF, 2002; Donnellan, 2002). It is a focus of attention in the whole world. The Ghana Child labour Survey (2003) estimates that 20 % of school children is involved in work classified as child labour. Of these, over 242,074 are engaged in worst forms of child labour (WFCL) including hazardous work. The fisheries sector is known as one of the areas where a lot of children work. Thus sea and inland fishing. First, there is inadequate information on the impact of the menace in the area. Second, the explanation given for child labour varies from society to society and culture to culture. These give much problem to the implementation of UN conventions on the problem. Some individuals and organizations define the term as work children do in order to earn incomes or to the benefit of somebody else. (Children Rights Convention, 1989; UNICEF, 2001; Kelsey &Peterson, 2003), The ILO (2004). Writers Canagarah & Colombes (1993), Jensen and Neilson (1997) and Jean-Marie and Robinson (2000) said child labour is the work children who are not in school do. There should be free and compulsory at least at the elementary level. Article 30 of the same declaration required all member nations to ensure that no person was engaged in any activity destructive to his or her rights. In 1959, the UN General Assembly adopted the rights of the child. This reaffirmed declaration free and compulsory elementary education as well as the protection of children from exploitation. On 16th December, 1966, the UN General Assembly adopted the Economics Rights of the child which prohibit child labour. Article 10(3) of this Covenant stated that 'children should be protected exploitation. It further indicated that employment of children in work which was harmful to their education, health and development should be punished by law and that the state should provide appropriate age for the employment of young people.' It once again reaffirmed the declaration of free and compulsory primary education. The UN declared 1979 as the International Year of the Child to reaffirm the protection of the child especially against exploitative child labour. The UN General Assembly was ratified the Convention of the protection of the Child on 2'd September 1990. Within the preambles of the convention, special references were made to the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights, which sought to protect the child. Article 32 of this convention specifically talked on child labour. Clause one of these Articles stated that the child should be protected from working. The large family size in most African communities contributes to the poverty situation aggravating the high prevalence rate (UNICEF, 1992). In Ghana, for instance, about 25 percent of the population is extrem...