Rescuing Ghana’s trafficked children

By Florence Gbolu
This editorial accompanied the article when it was first published in Ghana.
Dreams of attending school are finally coming true for a young boy rescued from a life of illegal labour in a Ghanaian fishing village earlier this year. “Foli”, who is about 11-years-old, has worked illegally for several years with a fisherman in Yeji. The young boy, whose real name cannot, by law, be revealed, told Social Justice that his master woke him at the crack of dawn each day to carry fishing nets and heavy wooden paddles towards the lakeside to begin the day’s job. “I helped my master in the boat by diving into the lake at that cold hour to [dis]entangle nets, which are hooked to stumps,” he said. “Not alone I am made to untie knots, fold and also unfold the fishing nets.” With a sad expression, Foli recalled ill treatment at the hands of his master. He hardly ever received new clothing, saying he “dressed in a dirty torn old and big size t-shirt,” and he was not allowed to observe personal hygiene such as cleaning his teeth or taking a bath. He also faced severe punishments while working. “I’m sometimes hit hard on the head or back with the paddle or given a knock on the head when I’m unable to untie a knot on the nets or do any assignment given me while fishing quickly,” he said. After grabbing the catch for the morning, he carried the fish in a big headpan, leading the way home. When carrying the bowl, he said, he felt sad and abandoned anytime he saw children of his age going to school. “Looking sleepy and tired I’m not allowed to rest but rather continue to work all day while my master’s children go to school,” Foli said. Foli could not remember his parents well because he left his family at a tender age, he does not know exactly when. He believes he has stayed with his master for more than six years. He was sent to serve the fisherman so as to earn money for the care of his parents and his siblings. PARENTS, MASTERS DON’T SEE DANGERS Foli’s story is not unusual, according to Eric Boakye Peasah, Field Manager, Counter-Trafficking Unit of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Speaking in an interview with Social Justice, Peasah said that child trafficking continues to constitute one of the major problems in the county. Numerous research studies and assessments carried out in Ghana have provided clear evidence that child trafficking in a number of sectors does exist on a large scale, he said. Trafficked children in Ghana work in fishing, cocoa processing, mining, domestic servitude, kayaye (head porterage), market selling and begging, said Peasah. The major sending areas for children are the Volta and Central Regions, while major receiving areas for trafficked children include the fishing communities in Yeji and other areas on the shores of Lake Volta. According to Peasah, the fishermen engage the services of children because they believe children are not as rebellious and are less expensive than adult workers. “They also hold the view that children can easily dive to disentangle nets in the lakes, which have a lot of stumps in it, and also fold nets,” he said. The fishermen usually pay between 100,000 and 200,000 cedis (CA$ 13 to $25) for each child and usually enter an agreement that every month, quarterly or annually, an amount of money is sent back home to the family of the child. “Most of these children … are one way or the other related to those they live with.” The hazards involved in the work of child labourers often not concern the parents, and they do not think of the negative impact it is having on child development or their communities, Peasah said. Masters also sometimes promise the families that the children will receive a good education, although this rarely happens. “Child trafficking over the years seems to be an accepted tradition and parents don’t see anything bad or something which infringed upon the rights of their children,” he added. “Parents think the child must work to care for himself and supplement the family income. These children, being vulnerable, do it at the cost of their education, health and even their lives.” MORE THAN 500 CHILDREN RESCUED As most trafficked children do not have access to health care, they suffer from disease or injuries. Some have even death. They do not go to school, making it impossible for them to read or write. No one teaches them right from wrong. Their moral and intellectual growth is stunted, limiting their opportunities to contribute fully to society as adults. Governments all over the world have seen the negative impact child trafficking and all kinds of child labour have had on their country’s development. Therefore, many nations, including Ghana, have put regulations in place to check child trafficking. In Ghana, laws such as the Children’s Act of 560/1998, International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 132 and 182, and the recent Human Trafficking Act 694/2005 seek to protect children from trafficking and underage labour. “Before, there was no law on child trafficking but now that there is a law, we working hard to reduce the rate of trafficking if not bring an end to it, by going to these areas where we educate the people in the communities on the Child Trafficking Law and its consequences,” Peasah said. The IOM, which has a mandate to provide protection and empower trafficked women, men, and children as well as raise awareness and understanding of the issue and bring justice to trafficked persons, is involved with a specific project called the Yeji Child Trafficking Project. This project saves children like Foli from a life of labour. Since the project’s inception in 2002, 587 trafficked children have been rescued from the two major communities that serve the Yeji fishing industry. The project is supported by Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC) and financed by Bureau for Population Refugee and Migration (PRM), the U.S. Department of State and a number of other organizations. It also works hand in hand with other bodies, including the Department of Social Welfare, the Mfantsiman, North Tornu and Pru District Assemblies, the Ghana Police, Ghana Education and Health Services and other non-governmental organizations. HELPS CHILDREN, PARENTS, FISHERMEN To help young trafficked children in the Yeji area, Peasah explained, the project follows a concept they call the “Five R’s”: research, rescue, rehabilitate, reunite and reintegrate. Through research, the project identifies fishing villages that harbour or use trafficked children. During the rescue phase, they approach and solicit cooperation and input from fishermen using the labour of trafficked children. The young labourers are then taken to rehabilitation centres where they stay for a couple of months. The IOM assists with the rehabilitation and recovery of the children, who are often traumatized, and attempts to reunite them with their families and reintegrate them into school and society. The parents or guardians of the children receive micro-credit assistance in the hopes of helping to curb the poverty that may have led them to sell their children into labour in the first place. Project organizers also follow-up with the children to ensure they are doing well in their school or trade and successfully integrating into their new environment. Parents are also monitored to ensure they are taking good care of the children and using the micro-credit assistance appropriately. The IOM also works with the fishermen “masters” of the children. “When we get there, we spend some time with the people and educate them on the issue of child trafficking, its effects on these children and talk to them to give them compensation,” Peasah explained further. “After this education, the people willingly give out the children to us.” The fishermen are made to promise not to recruit additional child labourers before they receive financial assistance to help them supplement their income through alternative livelihoods. A NEW LIFE FOR FOLI Foli was rescued in April 2006. Due to his hardworking nature, it was difficult for his master to release him to the IOM rescue team, says Peasah, but Foli’s master was finally convinced. Foli and 49 other children rescued this year spent 75 days at the Department of Social Welfare Centre in Madina for recovery. He and his new friends also received counselling and some moral training. He now lives with his grandparents, who have been assessed and recommended to receive the micro-credit assistance from the IOM to improve upon their livelihood in farming. Foli is also enrolled in school, bringing to fruition his dreams of attending school like other children. Now in class two, his hardworking nature is certain to serve him well in his new life. He enjoys normal life like any other child, and is well on his way to becoming a healthy and productive member of Ghanaian society. “I’m grateful to IOM for helping me start a new life all over again,” Foli told Social Justice. “I would take my studies seriously and make sure I become a great person.”