Children at age 10 work for monetary rewards on cocoa farms - Research

The use of children in the production of cocoa has become a great concern for the International Labour Organisation as it is doing all it can to eliminate the worst form of child labour.

The government, together with civic society groups, are also putting together efforts to eradicate this menace.

Dr. S. Adubofour, a Dean and Senior Lecturer at the Christian Service University College, Kumasi, has called on farmers to draw the line between children assisting on apprenticeship and those being forced into pure child labour.

He jointly made this observation together with P, K. B. Asamoah, J. Obodai, and F. O. Agyemang in a research publication titled "The use of Children in Cocoa Production in Sekyere South District in Ashanti Region, Ghana: Is this Child Labour or an Apprenticeship Training"?

The objectives of the study were to acertain whether the labour of the children are paid for and also to determine the extent of children’s involvement in it.

The research is also meant to find out the risks these children are exposed to.