GUIDELINES AND PROTOCOLS FOR ESTABLISHING CHILD LABOUR FREE ZONES (CLFZs) IN GHANA (Revised Version)
Ghana’s 1992 Constitution and international commitments, including ILO Conventions No. 138 and 182 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), prohibit child labour and aim to protect children’s rights. Despite legal frameworks and interventions since 2000, progress remains insufficient. The Ghana Living Standards Survey (2014) revealed that 21.8% of children aged 5–17 were involved in child labour, indicating that the country is unlikely to meet SDG Target 8.7 by 2025 without intensified and innovative action.
To address this, the Child Labour Free Zone (CLFZ) strategy has been introduced, focusing on empowering local authorities and communities to eliminate child labour. A CLFZ is defined as a geographical area where child labour prevalence is reduced to below 10%. The strategy includes a scoring system to assess and classify zones, with roles assigned to national and local government, communities, and partners. Standardised protocols guide resource mobilisation, monitoring, and service provision, ensuring sustainable efforts toward the progressive eradication of child labour.
Area of focus: Other
Organisation/institution: Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, Republic of Ghana