A Trafficked Woman’s Ordeal In Russia

A vivid example of what some people go through in their bid to seek greener pastures in Europe emerged on Tuesday at a forum on human trafficking. With a monthly income of GH¢150 in Ghana, a bread baker’s dream of earning more money in Russia as a nanny turned sour when she found herself lured into prostitution.

Desperate to travel, she abandoned baking and was trafficked to Russia. On her arrival in Russia, where she thought she would be working as a nanny, she was housed with some Ghanaians and Nigerians for two weeks after which her passport was seized and she was given a cell phone, taxi fare, and an address at where she was to start work.It was not until she arrived at the address that she found out that she was to work as a prostitute, and had to on the spot sexually satisfy three men.

Luckily, she was able to contact the Ghana Consulate in Russia which rescued her the next day.Mr Eric Peasah, Counter-Trafficking Field Manager of the International Organisation of Migration narrated the ordeal of the bread baker at a media forum on human trafficking in Accra on Tuesday. He blamed the increasing cases of human trafficking in the country on the desire of many Ghanaians to travel abroad."Trafficking in persons is increasing these days because people are desperate to travel, especially so at a time advertisements and flyers promising work abroad are everywhere," he said.

He advised people to be circumspect in their desire to seek greener pasture abroad in order to avoid being victims of human trafficking. Mr Peasah called for a concerted effort to nip in the bud the emerging human trafficking in Ghana , saying even though statistics are scarce due to the underground nature of the business, since 2002, 642 children trafficked to work in fishing communities along the Volta Lake have been rescued by his organisation. Children as young as three years are trafficked by their parents to work in fishing communities along the lake due to poverty but, Mr Peasah said, the good news is that people are now discerning and "some have now started going for their children due to the suffering the children go through."

The forum, organised by the Christian Council of Ghana as part of its anti-child trafficking programme, was aimed at building the capacity of journalists in reporting on human trafficking.