The Plight of Working Children at Mankessim, Ghana

Children serve as social assets for domestic and economic activities. It is therefore not uncommon to see children in Ghana working under the instructions of their parents. In some instances, children are engaged in economic enterprises due to household poverty. Whereas some of these activities initiate children into adulthood, others affect their school attendance and development. The paper explores some of the activities children engage in at Mankessim in the Central Region of Ghana. It justifies that some of these activities constitute labour; and discusses other factors that contribute to household poverty in the area. Data were obtained from 152 children engaged in various economic activities. Findings revealed that 69% of the children were asked by their mothers to work. Half of the children benveen 6 and 11 years and more than one-third aged 11-17 worked for over five hours a day. Sixty-six per cent complained of tiredness. In-school children missed school at least once a week to work while 10% dropped out of school due to work. improving standards of living of women and strengthening societal organizational values are crucial in addressing the plight of working children in the area.Keywords: Child work; hawking; child labour; Mfantsiman Municipality; Mankessim; Ghana

Mobility, education and livelihood trajectories for young people in rural Ghana: a gender perspective

This paper examines the gendered implications of Africa's transport gap (the lack of cheap, regular and reliable transport) for young people in rural Ghana, with particular reference to the linkages between restricted mobility, household work demands, access to education and livelihood potential. Our aim is to show how mobility constraints, especially as these interact with household labour demands, restrict young people's access to education and livelihood opportunities. Firstly, the paper considers the implications of the direct constraints on young people's mobility potential as they travel to school. Then it examines young people's (mostly unpaid) labour contributions, which are commonly crucial to family household production and reproduction, including those associated with the transport gap. This has especially important implications for girls, on whom the principal onus lies to help adult women carry the heavy burden of water, firewood, and agricultural products required for household use. Such work can impact significantly on their educational attendance and performance in school and thus has potential knock-on impacts for livelihoods. Distance from school, when coupled with a heavy workload at home will affect attendance, punctuality and performance at school: it may ultimately represent the tipping point resulting in a decision to withdraw from formal education. Moreover, the heavy burden of work and restricted mobility contributes to young people's negative attitudes to agriculture and rural life and encourages urban migration. Drawing on research from rural case study sites in two regions of Ghana, we discuss ethnographic material from recent interviews with children and young people, their parents, teachers and other key informants, supported by information from an associated survey with children ca. 9–18 years

Who Cares? Pre and Post Abortion Experiences among Young Females in Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana

AbstractIssues of abortion are critical in Ghana largely due to its consequences on sexual and reproductive health. The negative perception society attaches to it makes it difficult for young females to access services and share their experiences. This paper examines the pre and post abortion experiences of young females; a subject scarcely researched in the country. Twenty-one clients of Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) clinic at Cape Coast were interviewed. Guided by the bio-psychosocial model, the study revealed that fear of societal stigma, shame, and rejection by partners, as well as self-imposed stigma constituted some of the pre and post abortion experiences the respondents. Other experiences reported were bleeding, severe abdominal pain and psychological pain. The Ghana Health Services (GHS) and other service providers should partner the PPAG clinic to integrate psychosocial treatment in its abortion services while intensifying behaviour change communication and community-based stigma-reduction education in the Metropolis. Keywords: Ghana abortion; young people; experiences.RésuméLes questions de l'avortement sont essentielles au Ghana en grande partie due à ses conséquences sur la santé sexuelle et de reproduction. La perception négative que la société attache à elle, le rend difficile pour les jeunes d'accéder au service et de partager leurs expériences. Cet article examine les expériences d’avant et d’après avortement des jeunes gens, un sujet à peine étudié dans le pays. Vingt-et-un des clients de la clinique de Planned Parenthood Association de Ghana (PPAG) à Cape Coast ont été interrogées. A l’aide du modèle bio-psycho social, l'étude a révélé que la peur de la stigmatisation sociale, la honte et la perte de partenaires, ainsi que la stigmatisation auto-imposé constituaient. L’expérience d’avant et d’après avortement des interrogées rencontrées. L’hémorragie, les douleurs abdominales intenses et de la douleur psychologique ont également été signalées. Les services de santé du Ghana (GHS) et d'autres fournisseurs de services devraient collaborer avec la Clinique du PPAG d'intégrer le traitement psychosocial dans leurs services d'avortement tout en intensifiant la communication sur le changement de comportement et l'éducation à base communautaire destinée à la réduction de la stigmatisation dans la métropole.Mots-clés:avortement, jeunes, expérience

Ecological modernization and water resource management: a critique of institutional transitions in Ghana

Published online: 05 Feb 2015Ghana is endowed with surface and ground water resources. These resources prior to the colonial era were managed by traditional societies through various conventional methods embedded in their cosmovision. However during the colonial and postcolonial regimes, in response to climate change, economic globalization, and population pressure, there has been a conscious shift from customary water management systems towards paradigms cast in the contemporary mould (legislation, policies, and institutions). These modern approaches have been shown over the years to be insufficient in ensuring water sustainability. This insufficiency manifests itself in the increasing water scarcity through anthropogenic-induced water resources degradation and severe climatic variability. Using content analysis, this paper reviews this transition, first to fully understand the intricacies of the evolution and second to draw lessons for better water resources management in Ghana. This paper contends that although Ghana’s water related institutions, laws, and policies are undergoing significant reforms, implementation and practice remains embedded in weak ecological modernization (EM). Institutionalizing a narrow conception of EM will only perpetuate ‘organized irresponsibility’ and permit the continued production of ecological problems, leaving open the question of whether modernization is compatible with ecological sustainability. Though customary water management approaches are not entirely devoid of limitations, simply branding them as obsolete may obviate an important vehicle for water sustainability. In the spirit paradigmatic complementarity, ecosystem-friendly indigenous approaches must be integrated with contemporary management systems for the long term goal of sustainability.Gerald Atampugre, De-Valera N. Y. M. Botchway, Kobina Esia-Donkoh, Stephen Kendi