The General Secretary of the General Agricultural Workers' Union (GAWU), Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe, has called for the strict enforcement of laws against child labour and child trafficking in cocoa-growing communities across Ghana.

He said the continued exploitation of children undermines their rights, education, health and prospects.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi, Mr Tagoe acknowledged that Ghana had made progress through policy interventions, public education campaigns and community-based monitoring systems. However, he noted that many children in cocoa-producing areas remain exposed to hazardous work.

According to him, such activities include the use of sharp tools, carrying heavy loads and undertaking tasks that pose serious risks to children's safety and development.

Mr Tagoe stressed that child trafficking and exploitative child labour remain criminal offences under Ghanaian law and urged law enforcement agencies to intensify investigations and prosecutions to deter offenders.

"Children belong in classrooms and not on farms undertaking dangerous activities that jeopardise their education, well-being and physical development," he said.

He identified poverty, low household incomes, inadequate access to social services and limited educational opportunities in some rural communities as key factors driving the practice. He therefore called on authorities to address both the symptoms and root causes of child labour.

The GAWU General Secretary advocated increased investment in education, social protection programmes and livelihood support for cocoa-farming households to ease the economic pressures that often compel families to involve children in farm work.

He also called for stronger collaboration among traditional leaders, parents, teachers, cocoa-buying companies, civil society organisations and government institutions to strengthen child protection systems at the community level.

Mr Tagoe noted that community-based child protection mechanisms, climate-smart agriculture initiatives and child labour monitoring systems have proven effective in reducing child labour while improving household resilience.

He emphasised the importance of public education and awareness creation in cocoa-growing communities to help residents understand the dangers of child trafficking and child labour and their long-term consequences for affected children and national development.

He urged community members to report suspected cases of child trafficking and child labour to the appropriate authorities for prompt action, stressing that silence only allows the practice to persist.

According to him, Ghana's cocoa industry can only sustain its reputation and long-term viability if children are protected from exploitation and given the opportunity to learn, grow and realise their full potential.

Mr Tagoe also called on the media to intensify public education on the dangers of child trafficking and child labour, adding that while children should be encouraged to participate in age-appropriate household chores, they must never be exposed to hazardous work that could endanger their health and development.