Image via WikipediaFrom: Government of Canada
Human trafficking is an international problem affecting millions of people and in Ghana, the internal trafficking of children is one of its biggest challenges. Many Ghanaian children are trafficked from their home villages to work in the fishing industry.
Living in tough conditions and working long hours every day, they are exploited by fishermen desperate to feed their families and eke out a living along the banks of Lake Volta. Child labour and even trafficking are deeply ingrained in the fishing industry in Ghana. Through conversations with child traffickers, it becomes clear that many of them simply do not realize that it is wrong for children to be away from their parents, missing school and performing dangerous physical work for long hours.
Enslavement Prevention Alliance West Africa (EPAWA) is an NGO at the forefront of combating human trafficking in all its forms in the West African sub region. With the support of the Canadian High Commission, EPAWA carried out a massive educational campaign in Ghanaian schools in an effort to make children aware of their rights and the dangers of trafficking.
EPAWA emphasizes the importance of teaching adults and youth alike that children should not be made to work like adults by building trust and winning the hearts and souls of parents and children. Reducing trafficking is a process that requires patience and commitment to youth, as much as it involves legal arguments.
As a result of their campaigns in schools, the organization is publishing a book that captures youth pespective – their stories, poems and drawing that capture this issue – that will be given to Ghanaian government officials to encourage their action. It will also be sold to raise money for future activities.
EPAWA is a regional anti-trafficking organization well-known for its campaigns and investigations into trafficking for sexual exploitation, and it was was directly responsible for helping to expose and dismantle a brothel involved trafficked Chinese women in Accra in 2009. You can follow EPAWA on Facebook and Twitter.
Helping Ghana’s Youngest Victims: Child Trafficking in Ghana
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