When in 2003, an 11-year-old girl was asked by her uncle to go and live with an Atebubu-based businessman, little did she know that she was being used as collateral for a loan of 5.5 million cedis contracted by the uncle, Thomas Sanka.
The girl had to stop school and for the past three years, has been in servitude in the house of Papa Afagbedzi, the businessman, who guaranteed the loan for Sanka.
Apart from selling cooked rice and other items at the E.P. School at Yeji, the girl is also allegedly being abused sexually by Afegbedzi.
When news of her situation got to the Atebubu-Amantin District Office of the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) on July 7, efforts were made to free the girl but they proved futile as Afagbedzi insists that the money should be paid before she can be released.
The District Director, Samuel Nyamekye Vasco, confirming this, said: "I had a chat with the girl who said Afagbedzi had sex with her on many occasions."
As at the time of filing this report, CHRAJ was seeking the assistance of the police to get the girl freed.
According to Mr Vasco, the girl’s ordeal came to light when her father, Robertson Somlator, who is in the Volta Region, requested his younger brother, Sanka to bring the girl home to continue with her education.
Mr Vasco said that when Sanka went to Afagbedzi for the girl, following her father’s request, Afagbedzi insisted that until the money was paid to the owner the girl would not be released.
“Someone heard of the girl’s plight and hinted us and we have taken the matter up”, Mr Vasco explained.
A report was made to the police on July 7.
When contacted, the District Police Station, the District Commander was not available for comment, but a source there confirmed that a report had been made about the issue
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