ghananlpcommunity/ghana-gov-speeches-sentences huggingface dataset:
Such activities include helping parents to care for the home and the family or performing light work such as assisting in a family business, These activities are positive and contribute to a child's development and provide the child with skills, positive attitudes and experience useful in hisfher quest to become a productive member of society.
10 It is this beautiful traditional social system that some adults across the country are unfortunately abusing, resulting in the labour exploitation of children in all kinds of activities.
Madam Speaker, Child fabour on the other hand is work which is morally, physically, socially or mentally dangerous and harmful to children, It is work which deprives children of education, or prevents them from benefiting fully from schooling as a result of either combining heavy and long hours of work with schooling or dropping out of school completely to undertake such activities.
The Children's Act, 1998 (Act 560), the most comprehensive law for protecting children defines exploitative labour as work that deprives the child of histher health, education or development, It sets the minimum age for admission to employment at 15 years for general employment, 13 years for light work, and 18 years for hazardous work.
Section 91 of the Act prohibits the participation of children in hazardous activities, including, going to sea, mining and quarryin porterage of heavy loads, among others.
It is however unfortunate that some children are engaged in such activities.
In Ghana, Madam Speaker, the 2003 Ghana Child Labour Survey (GCLS 2003) and other studies have confirmed the engagement of children in various forms of work, including stone cracking/quarrying, agriculture, ‘gallamsey’, child prostitution, child domestic service, street hawking, farming, beggars’ guides, among others.
The Ghana Child Labour Survey reported that, out of a population of 6.36 million children aged 5 — 17 years, over 1.27 million children, representing 20% were erigaged in child labour, with over 242, 000, engaged in activities classified as hazardous work.
Over 1 million of these child labourers were younger than 13 years of age.
Others are trafficked and exploited under’very dangerous conditions, contrary to the Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694).
Madam Speaker, this year's Event will be marked with a National Durbar at Agbogbloshie, under the theme: ‘Give Girls a Chance: End Child Labour’.
All the 170 districts across the country will also celebrate the Day with various activities to drum home the negative consequences of child labour and the importance of educating our children.
The choice of Aghogbloshie for this year's Event is informed by the fact that many young girls who should be in school or undergoing vocational training, have found their way into this community and caught up in various forms of child labour activities.
These girls are engaged in all kinds of work, including, porterage of heavy loads, commonly referred to as ‘Kayayei’; traditional restaurant anendants) domestic servitude, street hawking, among others.
HE It is believed that some of these young girls, are also engaged in child prostitution, during the night to complement their meager eamings during the day.
Madam Speaker, this is unacceptable and deserves all the attention that it requires, in order to eliminate the canker from our society.
Madam Speaker, this year's theme comes at an opportune time when there is increasing concern for parents and the nation to protect all children from exploitation and give equal opportunity to all children by investing in the education of both boys and girls.
In line with the theme for this year's Evengb it is important to note that a lot has heen achieved in efforts to bridge the gap between boys and girls in the area of education.
There is however more room for improvement to achieve the second and third Millennium Development Goals, which call for the completion of full course of primary education and the elimination of gender disparity by 2015.
Madam Speaker, giobally, some 75 million children are still not enrolled in primary school.
For every 100 boys in school, there are only 94 girls, and girls in rural areas are particularly disadvantaged.
Gross enrolment at secondary level in developing countries is 61% for boys and 57% for girlsv In least developed countries, the figures are 32% for boys and 26% for girls.
It is clear that in much of the developing world,, huge numbers of girls are failing to access education at post primary level.
(Source: ILO) In Ghana, completion rate for girls is consistently lower than boys.
Gender parity is highest at the fower levels, with the Kindergarten level currently at 0.98, the primary level at 0.96 and the JHS at 0.92 (Source: 2008 Ghana Education Report).
The gap is however decreasing, There is therefore the need to continue the current trend to achieve our targets for gender parity, Universal Basic Education and Education for All.
Madam Speaker, Government together with her social pariners, in partnership with other stakeholders are not relenting on its efforts to find appropriate solutions to this problem.
Since 2000, Madam Speaker, when Ghana ratified the ILO Convention 182 and signed onto the ILONPEC Programme, a lot of interventions have been implemented in specific sectors of the economy, This has resulted in the development of policy and legislation and the implementation of small-scale direct action in identifying, withdrawing and rehabilitating children in various Worst Forms of Child Labour (WFCL) across the country.
Several government institutions, Employers’ and Workers organizations, local and international NGOs, the ILO and other international agencies such as 3|0y UNICEF and Intetnational Oranization on Migration (IOM) have contributed significantly to efforts to address the problem.
One of such IPEC Programmes, the ILO/IPEC-WACAP Project, resuited in the development of the National Programme for the elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Cocoa (NPECLC), in response to the ‘Harkin-Engel Protocol which was signed into force in 2001, between US Senator Harkin and Congressman Engel on one snde, and the World Cocoa Foundation on the other side.
The scale of the child labour problem and its multi-sectoral nature however require vigorous, broad-based and large-scale measures, within an integrated framework that enhances synergy among the relevant sectoral programmes and the development of stronger partnerships among the key actors.
Madam Speaker, the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare is finalizing a 7- year National Plan of Action (NPA), to eliminate all worst forms of the child labour in Ghana by 2015, This Programme,; when finalized and adopted, will provide the necessary focus and impetus for eliminating this serious problem from our society in a timely, efficient, effective and sustainable manner.
Madam Speaker, Ghana has indeed made a lot of strides in dealing with the child tabour problem,.
Much more however needs to be done.
| take this opportunity to wish all those working hard to help curb the problem Ayekoo.
Madam Speaker, Child Labour, no matter its form is undesirable and needs to be eliminated, It is for this reason that | cali on Hon.
Members of this noble House and the entire Ghanaian society to join hands to address the problem.
Madam Speaker, | thank you for the opportunity.
i-lo;'n'.
lephen Amoanor k"wao {MP) Minister, Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare June 12, 2009
[ i s # STATEMENT.ON THE SIGNING OF THE KYOTO ACCORD ON GLOBAL WARMING | : | BY STEPHEN ASAMOAH-BQATENG ‘ MEMBER FOR MFANTSEMAI ON: EN y i Mr.
Speaker, The Kyoto accord, which aims to curb the air pollution blamed for global warming, has come into force, midnight of 16 February 2005, seven years after it was agreed.
Although some key countries did not sigh up to this treaty, the fact that it has come into effect is in itself welcome news, especially for Africa.
The accord requires countries to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
Some 141 countries, accounting for 55% of greenhouse gas emissions, have ratified the treaty, which pledges to cut these emissions by 5.2% below 1990 levels by 2008-12.
Each country has been set its own individual targets according to its pollution levels.
Fast growing developing countries such as China and India are outside the framework, a fact pointed out by US President George W Bush in 2001.
Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi issued a statement welcoming the treaty but also called on non-signatories to rethink.
"From now, we have to build a system in which more nations will work together under the common framework to stop glofial warming," he said.
Ms Maathai, an ecologist and Kenya's deputy environment minister, said the Kyoto Protocal would require not just efforts from governments and businesses, but also a change in the way people lived, Mr.
Speaker, the head of the UN Environment Programme, Klaus Toepfer, said Kyoto was only a first step and much hard work needed to be done to fight global warming and its possible effects on the world's climate.
"Climate change is the spectre at the feast, capable of undermining our attempts to deliver a healthier, fairer and more resilient world,” he said.
Recent projections on planet warming made terrifying reading, he said, painting a vision of a planet that is "spinning out of control."
He said it would be Africa which bore the burden of the world's failure to act.
Whilst it is éene‘rally éccepied th;l even for counmesfth‘fit“have slgnéd fip t{o Kyoto accord the goals could be difficult, we must all strive to hit our targets as individual countries.
It is heart-warming to hear Mr Takashi Omura, of the Japanese environment ministry emphasized bthat "Japan will make all efforts to respect the rules of the Protocol."
Supporters of the 141-nation pact say it is a tiny step to slow global warming by imposing legally binding caps on greenhouse gas emissions in 35 developed nations, mainly from burning fossil fuels in power plants, factories and cars.
Climate experts fear projected temperature rises could disrupt farming,' raise sea levels by melting icecaps, cause more extreme weather like hurricanes or droughts, spread diseases and wipe out thousands of animal and plant species by 2100.
Speaker, we in Ghana must add our voice to the call for other countries that have not signed up to this treaty to make all effort to sign so that we can, together, save our planet for generations yet to come.
Speaker, coming home to Ghana we are not spared of the threat of global warming and it is important we sensitize our countrymen and women, especially vehicle owners and those in business — viz.
mining industry, cement industry, etc.
to be mindful of how waste is managed.
The’harm that refrigerators, especially second-hand ones, play in the consumption of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) deserves mentioning.
This sector, according to EPA source consumes as much as 98% of the total ODS consumption in Ghana.
it is heart warming, though, to note that the EPA is playing its role for the Government to meet its strategic objective of phasing out the use of ODS according to the ODS phase out schedule for Article 5 countries under the Protocol.
It is important to remind government and the business community to check the importation of second-hand refrigerators into the country.
Owners and importers of old vehicles must also play their part to reduce gas emissions into the environment.
Whilst commending the current management of DVLA for the compliance of MCT regulations, | would also fika to call on them to liaise with the law n enfoqrceme‘nt agencies to intenéify'ifiis aspect of their work to check on the pollution from !
vehicles into the atmosphere.
This is because ozone produced when sunlight reacts with pollutants emitted by vehicle exhausts is also a major cause of respiratory disease.
Speaker, | am informed that our vulnerability assessment indicates that:: « Agriculture is very vulnerable to climate change (e.g.
decrease of 7% in maize yield by 2020); + Coastal belt is currently experiencing an erosion at the rate of 8m/fyear; and « Water resource also has a high vulnerability.
Speaker, afforestation, management of degraded land and Agro-forestry are some of the measures being taken by Ghana to increase greenhouse gas sinks.
Whilst inventory of gas emissions taken between 1990 -1996 (latest record available) indicate that carbon dioxide — CO2 — accounts for the largest share of our greenhouse gas emissions by source, it is heartening to note that this is offset by carbon sinks in forested and afforested lands.
However, methane emissions (largely due to agriculture and biomass for energy) although lower than CO2 emissions is about 2-3 times higher than CO2.
This means that we must do more to minimize incidents of bush fires, deforestation and other unfriendly agricultural practices.
We must come down hard on illegal chain-saw operators and their collaborators who are causing immense damage to our forest.
Speaker in the coastal zone, where most of my constituents live, the situation is even serious.
Apart from some few urban centres, the main economic activities are fishing and farming, with the people living on very low incomes.
Speaker according to the EPA if the current rates of sea-level rise continue a totai of 1,110km2 of land area may be lost as a consequence of a 1m rise by 2100.
Sea-level rise can also be expected to raise the soil moisture content of sandy and silty soils along the coastal zone.
These soils when subjected to vibration will liquefy.
The structures founded on these soils could thus be at risk of collapse during earthquakes.
Qur water resources are suffering severely as runoff or discharges in our basins are very sensitive to changes in precipitation and temperature.
From the socio-economic point of view, there may be secondary impacts on health, nutrition and energy-based industrial 3 activities, if proper adaptation options are not taken.
It is estimated that by the year 2020 ¢ all our basins will be vulnerable - i.e.
the country will face water management problems, | .
Speaker | would like to commend the 141 countries that have signed the Kyoto accord and use this opportunity to call on the other countries yet to sign-up to consider the plight of those of us in Africa and make all efforts to reach agreement on the treaty.
FORMAL COMMUNICATION FROM THE RT.
ALBAN S. K. BAGBIN, SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT, TO THE HOUSE ON WEDNESDAY JULY 21°, 2021 FORMAL COMMUNICATION FROM THE RT.
ALBAN S. K. BAGBIN, SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT, TO THE HOUSE ON WEDNESDAY JULY 21%, 2021 Hon Members, The honeymoon period of the 8™ Parliament is over.
The business of Parliament, which Is the of the people, will be vigorously pursued.
As members of this House, we represent the people and our country, Ghana.
Ghanaians are looking up to us to lead, manage and represent them to translate their values, aspirations, ethics, and aspirations into tangible goods and services.
Our actions, attitudes and approaches must therefore mirror the ways of Ghanaians.
Over and beyond that, we must collectively be the standard of measure of the attitudes, values, ethos and culture that we want reflected within the body politics of this country.
My aspiration as Speaker is to lead this House into becoming the real trailblazer of the conduct that we want to see among Ghanaians.
This Parliament, and we as members, have done the better part of half a year since we were sworn into office.
| consider it most apposite at this time for us to pause for a moment, reflect on the past six months and ask ourselves very searching questions about our stewardship so far as Members of Parliament.
How have we fared as the standard bearers of the Ghanaian society, given that we are the representatives of the people at the highest level of the political superstructure of this country?
How have we modelled our conduct, approach, processes, practices and procedures to reflect the hopes and aspirations of the people we represent?
Hon Members, Given the number of novel Members of Parliament who joined this House six months ago ~ 123 members constituting 45% of the total number of 275 - it will 1 not have been ideal to insist on certain expectations and responsibilities of an MP.
There was a learning curve for the new MPs, which we all acknowledged.
| did indicate, from the very onset, that six months, which | referred to as a period of honey moon, is enough for the new ones to negotiate that curve.
| have quietly observed their progress as well as that of the continuing MPs and | am happy with the quest to learn and to catch up with the roles, responsibilities and expectations that Ghanafans have of their MPs.
Consequently, | will want to declare that the honeymoon period is overl Henceforth, my demands and expectations of all of you would be nothing short of the optimum in all areas of the work and conduct of an MP.
For example, the Standing Orders exist to help maintain discipline and decorum on the floor of the House.
Itis to bring respectability not just to us as Members of Parliament, but also to the people we represent.
Going forward, | will insist on adherence to the Standing Orders like never before.
Any intervention on the floor of the House that is no respecter of our practices and procedures, and that is not in synchrony with the Standing Orders will not be countenanced.
| therefore implore all members of the House to endeavor to be conversant with the provisions in the Standing Orders of Parliament, the Code of Conduct, as well as the constitution.
In addition, let us endeavor to understand the provisions of the Parliament Act, 1965 (Act 300) and the Parliamentary Service Act, 1993, as amended.
| urge all members not only to read these provisions and refresh their memaries, but also to read widely on the related issues.
It will help to take particular note of the rules on the Privileges and immunities of Members of Parliament.
We cannot be accessing privileges and immunities we have not earned.
We have a Code of Conduct, which among other things, enjoins us to “rebuild public confidence in our political system in a period when citizens of this country and elsewhere are losing faith in politics and politicians.
It is our duty to restore their trust through our conduct in the performance of our duties as Politicians and public office holders”.
We need to do more in this regard.
For those of you who are still behind in deploying the Standing Orders and Code of Conduct as a guide to what to do and what not to do on the floor of the House, you might have to speed up your mastery of the Crders.
The purpose of the 5.
O. is to make parliamentary business more organized, focused, and resuits driven.
Parliament will be organizing more training through the Parliamentary Training Institute (PTI).
The Parliamentary Service Board, under my leadership, has put measures in place to strengthen the Institute to organize intensive training and refresher courses for both Members of Parliament and staff of the Service.
Having said that, | should commend Members of Parliament, both old and new, who have attained admirable command over the Standing Orders.
This has clearly manifested in the contributions of some MPs to the business of the House.
It also shows in the discipline and decorum that attend the conduct of such members in the House.
Hon Members, Another area which must be of concern to all of us is actual practice; decorum, etiquette, conduct and behavior, physical symbols of the House such as the Mace, Speaker’s procession, bowing to the Chair, and the seating arrangement in the House.
These all have significant meanings and contribute to the maintenance of order, decorum, decency and dignity of the House.
Members could get copies of a number of books such as “How our Parliament Functions” written by the late K. B. Ayensu and S, N. Darkwa and “A Guide to the Parliament of Ghana”.
This issue of punctuality and timeliness to the business of the House is an issue we must confront.
Public perception on these issues is not the best and it detracts from our integrity and the seriousness that the public expects to see in our deportment.
As Marvin J. Ashton an American politician and statesman said, “Being on time to appointments and meetings is a phase of self-discipline and an evidence of self- respect.
Punctuality is a courteous compliment the intelligent person pays to his associates”.
Giving excuses using other committee meetings as the reasons why the Chamber is empty, or why we could not form a quorum is being questioned by members of the public.
Committee meetings ought not to be showstoppers of the serious businesses on the floor of the House.
Prioritization is the name of the game.
Our choices are a reflection of what we hold dear, what we place a premium on and what we pass off as unimportant, and the electorates are watching all these.
Besides, we all know that absenteeism is one of our challenges.
No matter the justification for that.
| know there could be instances where absence is inevitable.
But the absence still places the entire institution of Parliament in a very negative light.
| hereby serve notice that henceforth, Parliament will take serious view of such conduct.
| am putting leadership, particularly the Whips, on notice to devise measures that will ensure that lateness and absenteeism are reduced to the barest minimum.
We need to restore respectability, seriousness and dignity to this HouseA\/ We must strengthen the confidence of those who sent us here in what we do.
Lateness and absenteeism are NOT work attitudes that we want Ghanaians to adopt.
Leadership by example - that is what | am calling on all of you to do.
1 pledge to show the way.
Honorable Members, t am very sure you know the next thing | will want to touch on: it is about how we turn up in the House.
The parliamentary reference of being “naked” in the House was introduced for a purpose.
It was to underline the fact that as Members of Parliament, we ought to conform to a dress code.
It is not about expensive and designer wear: it is more about tradition, decency and discipline.
It is about how the culture and tradition of dressing in the House reflects the expectations of how people: It is often said that “clothing is a form of self-expression.
There are hints about who you are in what you wear”.
The Russian proverb that “when you meet a person, you judge the person by the clothes, when you [eave the person, you judge the person by his/her heart”, is a truism We have all subscribed to an acceptable way of dressing in this House — a dress code that we are all aware of.
Ghana is unique and has an identity.
That must reflect in our dressing.
| will encourage all of you to abide by that because from now onwards, those who disregard the dress code will not find in me a pleasant person.
Let us all strive to uphold the dignity and aura of Parliament.
Conducting ourselves in an ethical and principled manner should be our creed.
We must identify our values as individuals and as a collective and live by them.
We are aware of how events of the dawn of January 7 2021 have left a sour taste in the mouths of most observers of parliamentary process.
We are also conscious of the fact that misunderstanding of parliamentary processes has at times led to suspicion of impropriety on the part of some Members of Parliament.
It will require a sustained hard work to erase these misconceptions.
[ am talking about a conscious effort at remodeling the profile of the Ghanaian MP, through what we are seen to be doing, the transparency and integrity that govern what we do and the outcomes and impact we achieve.
We need to work together on this.
I believe | am right in saying that we all subscribe to our organizational vision of making Ghana’s parliament a model one in Africa, and one of the best parliaments in the world.
This we cannot achieve if we continue with the “business as usual” approach to our work.
We need a step change, and this will come with us taking ourselves a little bit more serious.
Ours is a strong institution with a strong culture.
What we need are a few changes here and there and we will be on a path towards achieving our vision.