The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has warned parents and guardians against putting their children to work at night since it is considered child labor and a violation of their fundamental human rights.
No one shall employ a kid in night labor, according to Section 88(1) of the Children's Act, 1998 ACT 560, according to Ms Fatimata Mahami, Tema CHRAJ Regional Director.
She went on to say that section 88(2) defined "night work" as "working between 1800 and 0600 hours."
She issued the warning on the Ghana News Agency-Tema Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue forum on Tuesday to discuss preparations for the 2022 International Day Against Child Labour observance.
The topic for this year's celebration, which takes place on June 12, is "Universal Social Protection to End Child Labor." For the event in Ghana, CHRAJ and the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations are partnering.
Ms Mahami stated that parents should guarantee that their children enjoy their youth by not putting them to adult job, and that keeping children by the roadside selling at night instead of sleeping was illegal and amounted to child labor, according to the Children's Act.
She expressed concern over a few youngsters selling on the streets at night instead of sleeping, emphasizing that "this deprives the kid of their childhood rights."
She stated that no one is against to teaching children business skills because they require such social skills in order to mature into responsible people, but that such positions must be age-appropriate.
"It's child labor if you're dealing with chemicals and asking a youngster to do it, or if you're conducting welding and asking a child to do it," she added. "It might be harmful to his health, and it's not age-appropriate."
"If a kid was on vacation or out of school," she said, "they could help their parents and guardians," but it shouldn't be labor that puts them in danger or interferes with their childhood rights.
She reminded the audience that a kid is anybody under the age of 18, and that such individuals should not engage in any dangerous or exploitative employment that might impair their education, health, or physical well-being.
In response to a clause of the Children's Act that states that the minimum age to engage a kid in employment is 15 years, she clarified that this age is for apprenticeships, not dangerous jobs.
Mr Francis Ameyibor, Tema Regional Manager of the Ghana News Agency, said that child labor has been a problem for mankind for a long time, which is why the Children's Act and the 1992 Constitution both protect children.
He believes the media should play a role in educating the public about what constitutes child labor and how it may be effectively addressed and curtailed.
Mr. Ameyibor stated that the media occasionally violates children's rights by disclosing the names and faces of soiled children and ill children seeking assistance, among other things, in their reporting.
He described such behavior by some media outlets or journalists as inappropriate and in violation of the United Nations Conventions on the Protection of Children.