Saving Children Sold Into Slavery in Ghana

“Whenever I recollect my rescue in 2005 by IOM, my heart gladdens because it has made me realize my dream of going to school to enable me become an important personality in the future’’ says Mansah a reintegrated victim of exploitative labour a monitoring visit.

Back in Yeji (a community in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana), Mansah; a girl who is currently 18-years old, wakes up at 5am every day to sweep the house, fetch water, cook, clean and smoked fish amidst other domestic chores. The day continues with her having to go selling food stuffs and fish. While doing all these during the day, she only gets to enjoy food only once before she goes to bed. According to her, remembering all these experiences makes her cry because her ‘’Mistress’’ is a relative of her late mother and she was placed in her care after her mother passed away since she was the most trusted and eligible person in the family to do that.

Living currently in Mafi-Afalekpo; a community close to mafi-Atitekpo (a community in the Volta Region of Ghana) with her guardian, even though situations are not as perfect as Mansah expected, she sees it as a better alternative. She appreciates her current situation more because as much as her guardian has five children of her own, she does her best to provide her with all her basic needs.

Mansah who was exploited for five years before her rescue by the International Organization for Migration in 2005,  has always had the ambition to become be a nurse in the future.  She is currently in her final year at the Junior High School; should she pass her exams successfully, she will have the opportunity to enter into the Senior High School for three years after which she can enter into a nurses training school to fulfill her dreams.

Donors like you made it possible for Mansah’s life to change. Your continuous support has brought her this far and will spur her on to higher heights. We hope you will continue to support IOM Ghana's CT project and help us to continue to change the lives of Ghana's child trafficking victims.

Never Awukudze, Samuel Amekuadi and Jonas Acquah were all trafficked to Yeji some years back by relatives. As part of different agreements signed by the relatives, the ‘Masters’ of these boys promised their relatives to enroll them in school, while they assist them in fishing after school, but that was not to be. Though these boys lived with different ‘Masters’ in Yeji, they all had similar treatments until IOM intervened and rescued them in the year 2004.

The three young gentlemen endured a lot while with their masters; from working more than 14 hours without rest a day to being fed once a day on an unbalanced meal. In addition to these, they were beaten and molested by their masters. It was emotionally traumatizing for them as they witnessed other children drowning in the process of diving under water to disentangle fishing nets stacked to tree stumps. During that time; they saw their dreams of being educated and becoming prominent people in the future shattered. They all hoped for a miracle to happen to change their situation, it did happen when IOM rescued them in the year 2004.

Never, Samuel and Jonas were all reintegrated with their families after their rescue. Never was reunited with his father and siblings in New Bakpa, Samuel with a relative in Sokpoe; both communities are in the Volta Region of Ghana. Jonas on the other hand was reunited with his father in Immuna; a community in the Central Region of Ghana. IOM placed them all in school

With the constant monitoring and support of IOM enabled by your generous donation, the three boys progressed through the primary school, the Junior Secondary school and finally the Senior Secondary school. They just wrote their final Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination and hope to make good grades to enable them proceed to the University. They have become role models to other children and living testimonies to the fact that when children are given the opportunity, they can make it to higher heights. While Never dreams of becoming a Pilot in future; Sammy and Jonas hopes to become a Medical Doctor and an Accountant respectively.

You have generously contributed towards the change in the lives children; given them hope and they will forever be grateful to you. Together I am sure, we can see them through the University if they make the grades.