A vociferous Ghanaian Trade Unionist, Mr Andrew Tagoe, has been named as the recipient for the 2024 Iqbal Masih award for the elimination of child labour.
Mr Tagoe, was named together with one other institution from Egypt, the Wadi El Nil Civil Society Organization, who are being recognised for working tremendously over the years to end the worst form of Child Labour.
The award, which is given annually does not recognise only the efforts of an individual, but also companies, a country and any group dedicated to the fight in ending child labour
The US State Department Of Labour, which announced the winners in a news release, stressed the need to recognise the exceptional efforts by an individual, company, organization or national government to end the worst forms of child labor.
In a remark to announce the winners, Deputy under Secretary for International Affairs, Thea Lee, described the recipients of the 2024 Iqbal Masih Award as champions in the fight against child labor.
“Their unwavering efforts and achievements in the ongoing campaign to eliminate child labor have rescued children from the dangers of hazardous work and created economic opportunities for families to help derail the cycle of child labor in Egypt and Ghana”, she stressed.
Known for his outspoken advocacy as a Deputy General Secretary of the General Agricultural Workers Union ( GAWU) of the Ghana Trade Union Congress( TUC) Mr Tagoe has played a significant role in advancing child and workers’ rights and been a powerful force in the country’s efforts to end child labor in the agricultural industry.
This, he has done by organizing and formalizing the agricultural economy in rural areas and working with communities to eliminate child labor.
One of Mr Tagoe’s achievements is being able to help thousands of children move from child labor into school.
His passionate and effective advocacy has helped to create a strong network of anti-child labor champions in Ghana and beyond.
In the case of Wadi El Nil, some of their works involved being a pivotal force in combating child labor in Egypt’s limestone mining sector for more than two decades.
Wadi El Nil Association, has the record of having rescued children from hazardous quarries and offering them pathways to education and skills development.
The association seeks to break the connection between poverty and the cycle of child labor by providing microloans to families to help them to achieve economic stability.
In recent years , Wadi El Nil extended additional support to vulnerable families and collaborated with community organizations and volunteers to reduce the impact that the pandemic had on families in need.
The Iqbal MasihAward, is non-monetary award established in 2008 by the United States Congress.
It is presented each year by the Secretary of Labor. The award was named after a Pakistani child who was sold into slavery at age four to work as carpet weaver.
After working for six years, the boy escaped at age 10 and became an outspoken public advocate against child exploitation two years later in his native Pakistan.
