41 children rescued from slavery

Challenging Heights, a non- governmental organisation (NGO) based in Winneba in the Central Region rescued 41 children from trafficking on the Lake Volta in 2015.

A total of 118 survivors were given comprehensive medical, psychological, physical, social, educational rehabilitation as well as shelter.

A statement issued by Ms Pomaa Arthur, the Communications Manager of Challenging Heights and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday said.

“According to the organisation’s 2015 Annual Report, 74 children were reintegrated with their families after spending from three to nine months at the shelter depending on their needs.

“Continuous monitoring was provided to 82 children with staff of the NGO following up at home and in schools to provide educational support and materials.”

It said child trafficking and forced labour remain a significant problem in Ghana with both the total number and the proportion of children in child labour increasing in recent years.

“Data from the Ghana Statistical Service indicate that 1.9 million children aged five to 17 are engaged in child labour with 1.2 million of the children engaged in hazardous labour,” the statement said.

Mr James Kofi Annan, President of Challenging Heights said targeted awareness programmes, knowledge and understanding about trafficking and child rights have increased in Winneba and its surrounding areas.

“We reached thousands of vulnerable and underserved people in 2015 by not only directly saving children but empowering their families and wider communities to bring about long-term systematic change,” he said.

Mr Annan said the organisation’s Women’s Economic Empowerment Programme (WEEP) also supported 254 carers of vulnerable children through the provision of loans and trainings in various skills.

“We inaugurated a smoke house with 56 smoke ovens to be used by local women’s cooperatives, with an additional 30 women provided with oven racks for use at home. Construction of the Challenging Heights Cold-Store that will underpin the whole WEEP site was started last year and is due for completion,” he added.

Mr Annan noted that Challenging Heights School supported more than 720 children in 2015 while the organisation’s Youth Empowerment Programme (YEP) trained 124 young men and 114 young women in ICT, leadership and business with 108 entering apprenticeships, finding employment or accessing further education.

“Our organisation seeks to protect and improve the lives of young people and communities affected by child trafficking and the worst forms of child labour.”

He urged government to increase its efforts in prosecuting trafficking offenders and also provide funds for the Human Trafficking Fund, the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the police service and government shelters, which are in deplorable states.

“Ghana is downgraded to the Tier 2 Watch-List status in the 2015 Trafficking in Persons report as Government efforts deemed insufficient to tackle the problem of hundreds of thousands of people trapped in modern slavery; including an estimated 21,000 children trapped in hazardous labour on the Lake Volta,” he said.