Abstract
Historically, in many African countries children engaging in some form of work is accepted as a crucial aspect of socioeconomic development. Yet, children engaging in productive work to support families is one of the major controversial issues that are increasingly being critiqued, especially given the circumstances under which many children work and the implications of such work conditions on children’s health, overall growth, and development. This chapter aims to discuss children engaged in productive economic activities that deprive them of their childhood, potential, and dignity, and that is harmful to their physical and mental development, often defined as child labor by the International Labour Organization. Emphasis is on current efforts in policy, research, and practices to curb the current observable trends in Ghana. The chapter commences with the concept of childhood in the Ghanaian context. Additionally, it focuses on factors contributing to child labor in Ghana, consequences of child labor, legal framework, and policies in place for addressing child labor. In addition, we provide suggestions on how social workers and public health practitioners could be involved in the development and implementation of socially relevant and culturally responsive interventions that would help address the needs of children engaged in productive economic activities. Throughout the chapter, we provide examples based on Ghana’s field experiences.
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Notes
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Copyright © International Labour Organization 1999
- 2.
Copyright © International Labour Organization 1973
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Boateng, A., Dako-Gyeke, M. (2022). Child Labor in Ghana: Current Policy, Research, and Practice Efforts. In: Ssewamala, F.M., Sensoy Bahar, O., McKay, M.M. (eds) Child Behavioral Health in Sub-Saharan Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83707-5_13
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