25 trafficked children reunite with families

Ekum Mpoano (C/R), May 16, GNA - It was a mixture of joy and tears on Tuesday when 16 out of 25 children who had been rescued from child traffickers were reunited with their families at Ekum Mpoano in the Mfantsiman District in the Central region.

Mothers and relatives of the children could not hide their excitement and tears as they took home their children one after the other and regretted ever selling them into slavery for pittance. The children, mostly boys ranging from between six and 16 years were rescued by the International Organization of Migration (IOM) from fishermen in the Kete-Krachi District in the Volta Region and communities along the Volta Lake where they were used in fishing activities.

Nearly all the children came from the Central Region with three hailing from the Eastern, Western and Greater Accra regions. Mr Eric Boakye Peasah, Counter-trafficking Field Manager of the Technical Cooperation Department of IOM, said, in line with their yearly rescue activities under the Yeji Trafficked Children Project, the IOM rescued the victims who were sold into slavery by their parents. He said the children were engaged in activities that were harmful and against the UN Convention on the Rights of the child. He said as part of their efforts to assist government in the fight against child trafficking and subsequent exploitation, his outfit, in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC), worked to rescue children from trafficking.

The children after they were rescued were taken to the Department of Social Welfare shelter at Madina in Accra where they stayed for three-and-a-half months.

He said the children on their arrival showed signs of abuse and ill-health such as infections, cracked lips and cracked soles, skin rashes, ulcers, bilharzia and looked older than their ages because of malnutrition.

The children underwent psychosocial counselling and guidance to enable them to overcome trauma, help them build trust, gain self-worth, learn to forgive and take decisions that affect their lives as well as overcome suspicion.

In addition, the children were introduced to classroom work to enable them to adjust well in the normal schools after re-integration. Mr Peasah noted that the IOM would assist the families of the victims to enroll them in schools while others would learn vocational skills. IOM would also monitor the families to prevent any future occurrence.

Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister of MOWAC, said the day which coincided with International Day of the Family, should be a platform to educate all on the importance and responsibilities of the family unit. She said the family was the basic and most fundamental unit of society, a dynamic unit engaged in an intertwined process of individual and group development.

She said the family had a responsibility in the shaping of morals and acceptable values of its young ones in the face of myriad challenges.

"The issue of poverty has been identified as a major setback to a child's proper upbringing. It is poverty that compelled people to give their children to others."

Hajia Mahama noted that the exploitative and hazardous conditions under which some children were made to work had raised a lot of concerns by human rights advocates. The most serious aspect of this phenomenon, she said, was the idea of children getting involved in activities beyond their age.

"The exposure of these children to crime and sexual exploitation and drugs has also attracted concern," she said, adding that, a priority concern of the Ministry was to put in place mechanisms to send these children back to their families. The theme for this year's celebration was: "Caring for the Disabled in the family" and it focused on their vulnerability and exclusion in the family.

The Minister said the causes of disability in children were multi-dimensional. These were caused by parental neglect, irresponsible behaviour, domestic violence and abuse.

She said Ghana was committed to the fight against child trafficking and had put in place policies, laws and structures to create an enabling environment for its future leaders,

She urged parents to send their children to school and invest in their education for a brighter future. Hajia Mahama warned that parents who sold their children would be arrested and prosecuted.

The Chief of the area Nana Korsah VII appealed to the people to desist from selling their children into slavery but strive to care for them because "there is no place like home". He noted that because the citizens were not practicing family planning they were giving birth to more children than they were able to care for, thus selling them for money.

He also attributed the problem to the rate of divorce in the town, saying the men were not looking after their children and therefore, leaving the burden on the mothers.