Parliament’s Human Rights Committee assesses child labour, child marriage and LEAP in Abuakwa South

The Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights has continued its field monitoring visit to the Abuakwa South Municipality, with focus on the Kwesi Komfo community.

This is day three of the exercise being undertaken by Parliament in collaboration with UNICEF, the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU), CHRAJ, ACEPA and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The engagement underscores the collective commitment to protecting the rights, dignity and welfare of children and vulnerable households, according to the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Ernest Yaw Anim.

He said the visit seeks to understand the situation of child labour, child marriage and the implementation of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme in the Municipality, identify underlying challenges and assess existing interventions and gaps.

"The planned visit to Kwesi Komfo will further provide an opportunity to engage communities directly and better understand the realities confronting children and families," Hon. Anim stated.

He noted that child labour and child marriage are both human rights and development concerns, often driven by poverty, school dropout, limited livelihood opportunities and harmful social norms.

"We must therefore assess whether interventions such as LEAP are effectively reducing household vulnerability, supporting school retention and protecting children from exploitation and other harmful practices," he added.

Hon. Anim stressed that addressing the challenges requires coordinated action among the Municipal Assembly, relevant government institutions, traditional and community leaders, civil society and other stakeholders.

"Parliament, through its oversight role, remains committed to ensuring that policies and programmes deliver meaningful results. Our objective is to listen, identify gaps and develop practical solutions that will ensure fewer children are exposed to hazardous labour or child marriage, while vulnerable families become more resilient," he said.