Child trafficking packages exacerbate the practice

Sogakope, June 1, GNA - More parents in the North and South Tongu districts have allegedly taken to child trafficking, enticed by the resettlement packages given to those victims who were rescued from the practice.

The micro-credit support that went directly to parents and guardians of those children has become the greatest attraction. Mr Julius Kwadzo Ameku, Chief Executive Officer, "The Fact For the Youth of the Southern Sector Organization" (FYSSO-Ghana), the NGO spearheading the rescue of the victims made the observation at Sogakope, where he handed over 19 such children to their parents on Monday. Other packages available to those children were basic school kits for young victims and jobs skills training for older children, he said. He said so far 600 victims have been rescued and integrated with their families in the South and North Tongu districts in the Volta Region and Dangme East and West districts in the Greater Accra region, in the past five years.

The Executive Director said the organization's external collaborators, Geneva Global and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have come out with a new pilot scheme, to identify and support needy children and parents in communities engaged in the practice. "We hope to strengthen parents to be more responsible to their children and discourage them from letting them out, as we shall be reducing the huge rescuing budget".

A total of 65 such children from the North and South Tongu Districts identified through the Social Welfare Department and the School system, received their support packages under the pilot project launched at the function.

Mr Ameku said a community managed micro finance scheme (Banking on change) is being implemented by FYSSO in South and North Tongu, Adaklu-Anyigbe district and the Ho Municipality, in partnership with Plan Ghana with Barclays Bank UK support, to empower women in their family life responsibility.

Mr Moses Kakau, South Tongu District Director of Social Welfare, who launched the new anti-child trafficking pilot project, said the neglect of children was mainly the cause of many social miscreants in the country. Mr Daniel Amelorku, South Tongu DCE chastised families who refuse to cater for their children and pledged the Assemblies support for the education of those children and all others in need.