The victims being rescued by the police
The Anti Human Trafficking Unit of the police has conducted a massive operation to rescue 24 children believed to have been trafficked to the Volta Region to undertake fishing.
The children, aged between 7 and 16 years, were used by their slave masters for fishing and other domestic ventures.
They were picked from their parents by traffickers from various regions including Central, Eastern, Volta and other regions.
Reports received indicated that some parents of the victims sold their children to slave masters.
Relatives of other victims deliberately persuaded their family members with children to allow the kids to come and live with them with an assurance that they would send them to school. However, as soon as they got the children in their possession, they sold them away as slaves.
Sixteen of their slave masters were also arrested in the course of the operation.
The rescued children could not express their joy to the rescue team for saving them after some claimed they had been enslaved and physically abused for the past two years.
One of the victims recounted how they lived in a harsh economic condition and worked for long hours every day.
He said their slave masters made them mend, set and pull nets, clean and smoke fish, as well as row fishing boats while their masters’ children were allowed to go to school.
Also, they said they were denied access to medical treatment anytime they got sick or injured, and most times left to fend for themselves.
Child trafficking is a violation of the rights of children, their well-being and it denies them the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Reports from the Ghana Statistical Service indicate that tens of thousands of children who dropped out of school were being used on the Volta Lake alone.
The rescued children are currently being sheltered and undergoing counseling, medical screening and rehabilitation while the arrested persons are on police enquiry bail assisting with investigations.
Briefing the media, Director-General of CID, DCOP Bright Oduro said the exercise, which took place on January 24, 2017 was in line with the police administration’s collaborative effort to end child trafficking and forced labour on the Volta Lake and other parts of the country.
He said the exercise was organised by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (ATHU) of the Criminal Investigation Department, (CID) Headquarters, the Marine Police Unit, Eastern Regional Police Command in collaboration with International Justice Mission (IJM) and the Ministry for Gender, Children and Social Protection.
“Human trafficking is an offence under the Human Traffic Act, 2005(Act694), and parents and individuals must beware and desist from the act. Parents are advised not to allow their children to be trafficked or sold into forced labour for monetary gains.”
He therefore called on community leaders not to entertain such acts but report any incident of child trafficking and forced labour to the police for swift action.
He said the police would continue to work with organizations and agencies to end child trafficking in Ghana through sensitization, rescue operations, protection of victims and prosecution of offenders.
Ghana, in 2015, signed a child protection compact with the United States of America (USA) government to end human trafficking.
An amount of $5 million grant was agreed upon to be given to the Ghana government by the US Government to support its efforts in the fight against human trafficking over a five-year period.
This was after Ghana was placed on tier 2 watch – list of the US Department Trafficking in Persons report for 2015.
If Ghana is unable to improve on its ranking, she risks being given aid and grant to the tune of over $600 million per annum by the US government.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey
(Lindatenyah@gmail.com)