42 children sold into slavery rescued on Volta Lake

At least some 42 children have been rescued from forced labour on the Volta Lake by a non-governmental organization, Challenging Heights in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Navy, the Department of Social Welfare and international partners, Abolish Slavery Now.

The rescued children comprised of four girls and 38 boys between the ages of 5 and 16.

The victims were sold from communities in the Central and Greater Accra Regions to the lake for the purposes of labour exploitation. It took the rescue team nearly two months of investigations and searching for the operation to be pulled off.

All the children rescued are set to go through rehabilitation, and subsequently, be reunited with their families.

Last year, Challenging Heights, together with its partners, rescued 91 children made up of 74 boys and 17 girls, all from forced labour on Lake Volta. This year the organization and its partners have so far rescued over 100 children.

Meanwhile, the organization has berated some MPs, and other politicians, who are allegedly supporting and emboldening some of the fishermen to launch attacks on its leadership, staff and rescue facilities.

“We are therefore calling on the Police Administration to extend maximum security protection to the staff and facilities of Challenging Heights against traffickers, and their sympathizers who are presently ruffled by the rescues that have taken place, ” a statement by the NGO said.