2009 Media House of the
Year (Print) AWOL

...Ensuring IT is done the right way!!

A. ABESS
AIRPORT SHUTTLE

 Alie Hassan Shop Aberdeen Roundabout,  Fredbynna Stationery Shop; Lumley Roundabout,  Freetown Supermarket,  Essentials Supermarket,  Payless Supermarket,  &  Monoprix Supermarket  Wilkinson Road Freetown.

Before 11am in Makeni: Sulcut Tele Center Azzolini Highway and I. B. & Friends Tele Center Opposite the S.L.C.Bank.

Before 12noon in Bo: Bo Mini Market Sewah Road,  B.K.P.S. Staff Canteen,  EM & JAY Enterprise 1B Dambala Road by the Post Office,  M & S Trading 29 Fenton Road &  PAT-MOI Tele Centre Safecon Petrol Station Fenton Road 

Before 12noon in Kenema: T. Choithrams Supermarket,  Mr Shola Williams 7 Bus Park,  Infinity Internet Cafe 55 Hanga Road,  M. U. Kalokoh Holdings Via Zain Shop 35 Hanga Road  &  Skaikey Mobile Phone Centre 18 Hanga Road Kenema Town

Awoko Newspaper Your Preferred Option.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) in Sierra Leone with funds from the European Union has embarked on an awareness raising campaign on the International Programme on the Elimination of child labour at the Hill Valley hotel in Freetown.
The objective of the awareness raising campaign is to sensitize Government officials, Employers Federation, Labour Congress, Child Welfare Organizations and the Media to understand the progressive elimination of child labour in creating a worldwide movement for the strengthening of national capacities.
The ILO National Coordinator for the TACKLE Project in Sierra Leone Sia Lajaku-Williams explained to participants about strengthening the legal framework and to improve the ability to formulate and implement child labour strategies.
She also explained about targeted actions to combat child labour with an improved advocacy and dissemination of good practices to enhance knowledge base and networks on child labour and education in Sierra Leone.
Sia Lajaku-Williams also pointed out areas of action in situation analysis, national policy, international labour standards, advocacy, and social mobilization, direct service which include preventive, protective and rehabilitative with capacity building of movements, stakeholders and institutions.
Delivering the general overview of the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) the National Coordinator said the International Labour Organization (ILO) is creating greater awareness of the nature, extent, and consequences of early child work to meet international adherence to the cause of human rights including child rights.
She also explained about the essence of powerful movements by consumers and manufacturers linking trade issues with international labour standards because exploitative child work is hazardous, dangerous, under socially unjust conditions.
She added that child labour is harmful to the child’s health and it also impairs the physical mental and emotional development. It infringes on the child’s human rights and it also separates children from their parents.
The National Coordinator for ILO IPEC TACKLE Project in Sierra Leone also explained to participants that not all work done by children is child labour and noted some of the causes of child labour is as a result of supply factors which include poverty, lack of education disrupted family patterns, entrenched social and cultural attitudes.
Sia Lajaku-Williams also noted that children are docile and compliant workers and in most cases cost less as children can be hired, dismissed and re-hired easily and there is misplaced perception of the necessity of children in certain production tasks.
According to the workshop facilitator from the Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs Child Welfare Secretariat Francis Lahai also spoke about the Child Right Act and expressed the need for the government to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of Child Labour in Sierra Leone. Participants of the awareness raising workshop took part in a group work to map out the different actors and identifying messages for the different actors and presentation of guidelines in developing and implementing mini programmes and developing an awareness raising plan on child labour will climax the workshop today.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) was formed in 1919 as part of the League of Nations which precedes the United Nations by 25 years and its core mandate are international standards setting through Conventions and recommendations, technical advisory services and technical cooperation, with an objective to ensure maximum promotion of social justice and improvement of living and working conditions around the world.
By Saidu Bah