Challenging Heights rescues 23 children to commemorate the 2023 World Day Against Child Labour

In observance of the 2023 World Day Against Child Labor, Challenging Heights conducted a rescue operation on Lake Volta over the weekend, freeing 23 young boys and girls from situations involving the most abusive types of child labor. There were 17 males and 6 girls among the youngsters who were saved, and their ages ranged from four to seventeen. The youngsters were rescued from sixteen distinct communities located around the shores of Lake Volta; several of these communities had conditions that were comparable to slavery.


On June 12 of each year, countries all over the world come together to observe the World Day Against Child Labor. The phrase "Social Justice for All" is being used as the overarching theme for this year's anniversary. Put an End to Child Labor! The government of Ghana has selected the slogan "Protect Children Against Child Labour Now More Than Ever" as a means of drawing attention to the critical nature of the issue and the imperative for all relevant parties to step up their efforts to find a solution.


The use of children as laborers is widespread across the globe. The International Labor Organization (ILO) and UNICEF estimate that there are currently over 160 million children identified to be engaged in child labor across the globe. This is an increase of over 8 million children that can be attributed to the widespread pandemic of COVID. With around 24% of children between the ages of 5 and 17 participating in some form of child work, Africa has the highest child labor rates in the world.


It is estimated that more than 21 percent of all children in Ghana between the ages of five and 17 are engaged in child labor, with a significant geographical discrepancy existing between the northern and southern areas of Ghana. According to a research by Ballard Brief, the percentage of children engaged in child labor in northern Ghana is approximately 33%, while the percentage is only 7.8% in southern Ghana.

Over 44 percent of children were discovered to be engaged in child labor in the Upper West Region, while just 3 percent of children were found to be engaged in child labor in the Ashanti Region. The situation is most dire in the Upper West Region. The survey indicates that the agricultural industry is home to the greatest number of working children, with almost 79% of those children engaged in child labor.

Challenging Heights, a child rights organization with offices in both the Northern and Southern parts of Ghana, is continuing its efforts to address the issue of child labor in Ghana by adopting a comprehensive strategy of rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration of affected children, as well as engaging in advocacy at all levels to create awareness and influence policies and their implementation. This strategy includes rescuing affected children, rehabilitating them, and reintegrating them back into their communities. In addition to this, the group offers assistance to vulnerable children and the families of these children in order to help them become more resilient in the face of exploitation. A survey that was published by Challenging Heights in 2017 revealed that child labor is a problem for sixty percent of the children who live along Lake Volta.

On the occasion of the World Day Against Child Labour, Challenging Heights is making a request to the government of Ghana to enhance its investment, particularly in state institutions that are tasked to fight against child labor. This would ensure that such state agencies are effective in carrying out their duty of fighting against child labor.

"We also feel that the lack of adequate coordination between the Child Labour Unit of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations and the Department of Children of the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection hinders the attempt at combatting child labor in Ghana. These two departments are under the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection. According to a statement released by the organization's President, James Kofi Annan, "We are therefore reiterating our call for the government to take immediate steps to relocate the Child Labour Unit from the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection."