Ghana has been charged to improve the capacity of security personnel in dealing with persons, who force children to work in hazardous environments such as the cocoa and fishing sectors.

Ghana has adopted the National Plan of Action for the Elimination of the Worst forms of Child labour but limited progress has been made.

It is estimated that a total of 168 million children engaged in child labour worldwide out of which one million come from Ghana.

Poverty, ignorance, misconception, apathy and negligence are some of the causes of child labour in the society.

On a study tour in Ghana, United Nations rapporteur on Contemporary Slavery, Gul-nara Sha-hi-nian bemoaned the growing trends of child labour in the country.

She noted that nothing is being done to eliminate the menace because the police, who play crucial roles in battling child slavery, lacked the requisite knowledge about it.

The UN rapporteur on Contemporary Slavery observed that issues of child labour affected not only the development of the child but also impacted negatively on the national economy

Gul-nara Sha-hi-nian suggested training programmes on child trafficking for the police to enable them identify victims and also know the right charges to issue for prosecution.

“The police should be part of our referral courses so that when they identify victims, they know where to send them for assistance”, she stated.