The WDACL is an International Labour Organization (ILO) - sanctioned holiday first launched in 2002 aiming to raise awareness and activism to prevent child labour.It was spurred by ratifications of ILO Convention No. 138 on the minimum age for employment and ILO Convention No. 182 on the worst forms of child labour.

The WDACL, which is held every year on June 12, is intended to foster the worldwide movement against child labour in any of its forms.This year, the Day is being celebrated under the theme: “Resist Child Labour: Improve the Safety and Health of Your Workers towards Achieving Sustainable Development Goal Eight.”

Mr Wireko-Brobbey said in order to reach the SDG Targets such as target 8.8 on safe and secure working environment for all workers by 2030 and target 8.7 on ending all forms of child labour by 2025; requires that public authorities, employers, workers and their organisations and other key stakeholders, especially the media to collaborate in creating a culture of provision that focuses on the safety and health of these young workers.

Mr Roland Affail Monney, the President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), appealed to the media to highlight development and children’s issues.Mr Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director, Media Foundation for West Africa, who chaired the function, urged journalists to make a personal commitment to contribute towards eliminating child labour.

According to the ILO, child labour is an affront to the fundamental human rights of children and a threat to their wellbeing.Child labour is a serious international issue attracting the attention of international and national governments including the United Nations, employers and workers organisations, civil society organisations and local communities and other relevant development partners.

Across the world, about 218 million children between five and 17 years are in employment. Among them, 152 million are victims of child labour; almost half of them, 73 million, work in hazardous child labour.In absolute terms, almost half of child labour (72.1) is to be found in Africa.

The recent Ghana Labour Force Standards Survey (GLSS 6) released in August, 2014 showed that 21.8 per cent, representing 1.9 million  children aged between five to 17 years out of over 8 million were engaged in child labour.These children work in dangerous and hazardous working environments with little or no protection exposing them to injuries, toxic substances and all forms of physical, psychological and emotional abuse.

A key for global advocacy against child labour is the marking of the WDACL.The annual event, affords assessment of progress and a strategic global focus on a particular aspect of child labour.