Parents and guardians who allow children out after 8 pm will be taken to task, the Tema West Municipal directorate of Social Protection and Community Development, has warned.

"The Children's Act forbids it and we are sensitizing residents on those aberrations so that they become aware of the consequences of their actions, "Mrs Clara Sowah, said.

The Tema West Municipal Director of Social Protection and Community Development, was addressing beneficiaries of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty(LEAP) programme at Tema Community Five.

A total of 247 beneficiaries in the Tema West Municipality were expected to cash the bi monthly stipend which ranged between 64 to 106 Ghana Cedis.

The LEAP is a social protection programme which offers cash transfers and other benefits to the vulnerable in Ghana.

According to Mrs Sowah, child neglect, child labour and all forms of child exploitation would not be tolerated and that the state would step in to take care of children who are not needed by their families.

She warned that even night food sellers should not keep children out by their side after 8 pm.

"A child needs enough rest. A child's place is the classroom to be prepared for a fruitful future and not hazardous jobs and dangerous environments where they are exploited and dehumanised," she said.

She however said teaching a child how to perform light home chores was not an aberration adding that " if on a weekend your child is by you in the market helping out with light jobs, it is okay but what we are saying is that the work given should not harm the child in anyway. "

Mrs Sowah asked parents and guardians to enroll their children in public schools where they can access free tuition and free food as they care about other needs.