Insights from Ghana Honorable Ignatius Baffour Awuah, the Minister for Employment Labor Relations in Ghana, provided valuable insights into the multifaceted nature of child labour issues. He emphasised the need for collective action beyond singular supply chain focus, recognising that efforts should extend to other sectors like mining and fishing. Honorable Ignatius Baffour Awuah highlighted the significant strides made in reducing child labour through educational interventions. He noted: “One major tool has been the deployment of education tools to reduce the incidence of child labour in our communities.” These efforts have drastically improved access to education, as he explained, “Before 2010, the average walking distance of a child to access a school was 4.7 kilometres. Now we have been able to reduce it to 1.2 kilometres.” This reduction means that “on average, within an area of 1.2 kilometres, you find a school located in every corner of Ghana,” ensuring that lack of proximity to a school is no longer a barrier to education. He went on to explain how new initiatives
have significantly reduced the number of children going without meals at school. Previously, students faced difficulties paying examination fees in their final year, but the government has now stepped in to address this issue. Additionally, they now supply school uniforms to students. These interventions are clearly making a positive impact, as primary education enrollment is steadily rising.
A change in legislation Baroness Young of Hornsey OBE, gave a talk addressing the complexities of managing supply chains and the urgent need for the COPAD (Corporate Accountability for Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence) legislation. She emphasised that it is the responsibility of businesses, not consumers, to ensure that their supply chains are free from human rights abuses and environmental harm. The talk went on to highlight the inadequacies of current legislation, such as the Modern Slavery Act, which has often resulted in superficial compliance rather than genuine due diligence. Baroness Young called for robust, preventative measures and greater transparency in supply chains, stressing that the UK must catch up with global efforts to
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legislate against unethical practices. The overarching message is that ethical sourcing should be a standard practice, ensuring that products are made without exploitation or environmental damage. Baroness Young shared her discourse on supply chain complexities with a poignant admission: “It is difficult, and I’m not trying to underplay how complex it is.” She acknowledged the multifaceted challenges inherent in managing extended supply chains, stressing that addressing them is a collective responsibility: “That is the problem of all of you, and all of the people who run organisations.”
In her impassioned address, Baroness
Young condemned the acceptance of unethical practices in certain regions: “it’s
One major tool has been the deployment of education tools to reduce the incidence of child labour in our communities. Before
2010, the average walking distance of a child to access a school was 4.7 kilometres. Now we have been able to reduce it to 1.2 kilometres”
difficult to impose laws and legislation and policies...but again, that’s got to be done, you have to do that.” She urged stakeholders to confront uncomfortable truths, asserting, “you have to think about why it is that these things are happening in these particular places to those particular people.” Baroness Young emphasised the need
for rigorous due diligence, cautioning against superficial compliance: “this is not an exercise, it’s not about tick boxing. It’s about really rigorous due diligence.” She highlighted the potential for smaller organisations to excel in this regard, noting that they often possess a deeper understanding of their supply chains: “For a lot of smaller organisations, it’s easier to do because they know their supply chains.” In her closing remarks, Baroness Young underscored the urgency of the COPAD bill, stating: “We’re not going to take two or 300 years to eliminate these practices...we know we can’t pretend we don’t know.” She called for decisive action, warning against complacency: “If we do, we do so at our peril, and we’d really be betraying not only those people over there, but ourselves too.”
European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) Renzo Verne discussed the implications of the EUDR on both companies and small farmers. He stressed the importance of traceability and advocated for radical transparency within the supply chain as key measures to address
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