Child labour is endemic in Africa and remains one of the biggest challenges facing Ghana. Child
labour, by definition in Ghana’s Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560) refers to (harmful) work by
children below the age of 18 years. Yet for many children and their families, child labour is a very
important coping mechanism that helps them to fight poverty. Some scholars are beginning to
soften their hardline stance on child labour, suggesting that many working children have
successfully completed school. This report shares findings on an exploratory study of 165 girls
under 18 years working in artisanal gold mines in Akwatia in the Eastern Region and Tarkwa in
the Western Region in Ghana. Descriptive statistics from the study revealed that the majority of
girls in mining were able to support themselves financially but simply could not cope with regular
school, to be able to make positive advancements in their social development. Thus the girls were
able to survive but could hardly flourish under the circumstances. Thus the observation that it is
possible to successfully combine school and work among children therefore is subject to the
conditions under which this occurs, and requires further field study.