Abstract
Children who are the future leaders of countries are exploited and forced into labour instead of receiving good education. Despite the increasing commitment by governments and their partners to tackle child labour worldwide, it remains a problem on the massive scale. This study therefore seeks to assess the effects of child labour on children with specific emphasis on the Obuasi municipality of the Ashanti region of Ghana. The study adopted the use of the mixed research method. Purposive sampling technique was used to select respondents for the study. The sample size for this study was fifty (50) people. The study reveals that children engaged in galamsey to contribute to their family income, to pay their school fees and to provide for themselves basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. Also, it is evident that the children’s involvement in this activity has affected them adversely. From the study it is clear that child labour negatively affects the education of children. Based on these findings the study recommends joint efforts among various stakeholders with the aim of developing public awareness of children’s rights and the problems encountered by working children.
Highlights
Child labour has been defined by most authors as the involvement of children in work that affect their health and education (Schrumpf, 2004; Kielland & Tovo, 2006)
With respect to the distribution of the marital status of respondents’ parents, it is evident that approximately 53.3% have parents who were either divorced/ separated while 46.7% were in the Junior High School (JHS)
Below, 36.6% of the respondents claimed that they engage in galamsey to supplement their family income while 30.0% indicated that they engage in this activity to get money pay for their educational costs
Summary
Child labour has been defined by most authors as the involvement of children in work that affect their health and education (Schrumpf, 2004; Kielland & Tovo, 2006). It is considered to have detrimental consequences on the cognitive, physical, psychological, social, emotional and intellectual development of the children depriving them of their childhood (Munthali, 2003). International documents such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and the ILO Convention No 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour (1999) cogitate child labour as objectionable and injurious to children’s total well-being. Poverty level is rising each day causing some parents to force their children in labour to supplement their income (UNICEF, 1997) This activity or engagement of the children poses lots of danger to them, their families, the community and the nation as a whole
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
