Accra (ILO News): The ILO, with the financial support of the United States Department of Labour (USDOL), launched CARING Gold Mining Project on 15 November 2016 to tackle the growing problem of child labour in the gold mining sector of Ghana. During a statement, the US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert P. Jackson drew attention to the existing situation where a large number of children are engaged in labour, especially in the small scale mining sector, who are deprived of education and training. Highlighting that these children are exposed to hazards and dangers and over exploited, he called on policy makers to be proactive and responsive to the social and economic development of children. He expressed hi hope that the CARING Project will pave the way for following projects to learn and adopt best experiences. In her opening statement, Lalaina Razafindrakoto, project leader informed that the short name, CARING was chosen to reflect the multi-stakeholder approach of the project. She explained that the project seeks to promote national and global mining practices that care about the well-being of children and the occupational health and safety of miners, as well as the environment which is at the centre of inclusive and sustainable development. The Director of ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Dennis Zulu, highlighted ILO’s engagement in ASGM to support processes aimed at the elimination of child labour, especially the worst forms of child labour. He emphasised that child labour is a human rights issue that causes physical and psychological harm to the child, and can be addressed through the development of regulations and guidelines for countries. He further stated that it a global issue that requires a global solution and therefore is captured under SDG 8. He applauded Ghana for being a leader in the implementation of international conventions and protocols, especially those by the ILO. Launching the programme, Hon. Nii Osah Mills, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources (MNLR) expressed the government’s appreciation to the ILO for a continued support. He pointed out that the CARING project fits into the second phase of the National Action Plan on the elimination of Child Labour and the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA) II. He further indicated that the project could provide the platform for harnessing the comparative advantage of the various stakeholders to push the social support agenda for responsible mining and the elimination of the worst forms of child labour not only in mining, but also in cocoa and fishing. The CARING project which has an implementation period of 40 months involves the examination and enforcement of laws, policies and regulations at the national level, the access of households in ASGM areas to social protection services and livelihood schemes, the monitoring of child labour and working conditions along the mining supply chain in the two target countries, and the establishment of global partnerships for networking and best practice sharing.
