NCC holds inception meeting to address issues of child labor

Business

The National Commission for Children, (NCC), on Friday 27th March 2020, held an inception meeting at the Commission’s head office on Adelaide Street in Freetown. The meeting was aimed at finding solutions to address the issue of child labor, and removing them from the street. Commissioner, National Children’s Commission, (NCC), Joyce Wuyah Abu, said, the meeting was very timely, for it sets the pace for children’s organizations to be pro-active in addressing children’s issues, especially when there is the coronavirus pandemic. “children belong to the most vulnerable group, and suffers most whenever there is an outbreak,” she said. She said, children are the future of the country, and that issues affecting them should be treated with utmost seriousness. “if we want to talk about better Sierra Leone, we must concentrate on how we can remove the children on the street,” she opined. She recommended that monitoring of these street children remains very crucial to addressing their issues. She disclosed that the Commission will make every effort to, at least, remove 5% of the children from the street. “we want these street children to benefit from the free quality education, and the school feeding program,” she added. Focal Person, National Children’s Commission, Alhaji Kolleh Yillah, noted the efforts made by some children organizations, and the Freetown City Council, (FCC). However, Yillah believes that more needs to be done in terms of addressing children’s issues. Director of Children’s Affairs, Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Joyce B. Kamara, recommends that a consultant be hired to assess reports from various children’s organizations, on finding ways to addressing children’s issues. Program manager, Saint Georges, Daniel Musa, disclosed that over three hundred and eighty children (380) each year come mostly from homes, which lack the capacity to take care of their children. Musa recommends that a consortium will be very crucial to addressing child labor, and to remove children from the street. Francis, from Don Bosco Fambul, opined that the problem of street children is largely due to poor parenting and single parenting. However, he said, Don Bosco reunified 100 children and reaches out to 500 each year. He disclosed that the organization is currently investigating some foreign nationals whom they alleged are using animals to have sex with street girls. The inception meeting ended with the setting up of a taskforce that will closely monitor the activities of street children and proffer solution to removing them from the street. In the Commission’s conference hall were children’s organizations from Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Don Bosco Fambul, St Georges, among others.

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