From Isaac Akwetey-Okunor
Thirty-three children suspected to be victims of human trafficking have been rescued at Bunso-Junction by the Ghana Police Service (GPS), following information received on their transportation to Yeji, a town with a population of about 35,000 inhabitants, located on the shores of Lake Volta in the Atebubu District of the Brong Ahafo Region.
The victims, whose ages range from five to fifteen and were being transported to Yeji to engage in menial jobs, have since been transferred to the Eastern Regional Police Headquarters in Koforidua. The timely intervention became possible, following collaboration between the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department of the GPS and Challenging Heights, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) fighting against child labour, on Sunday, rescued the children who were onboard four buses to Yeji.
Speaking with the paper, the Director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, Superintendent Patience Quaye, hinted that the intervention was made after the police received information about the act. She explained that the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit can confirm that most of the children were going to be used for menial jobs and other fishing activities in and around Yeji.
Supt. Quaye noted that the children would be taken to the Eastern Police Training School for a temporary accommodation, with the provision of food and other amenities by Challenging Heights while waiting for a decision to be taken on them. The Director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit has affirmed the preparedness of her office to clamp down the activities of some drivers who go round to recruit children to far-away places to work in their interests during long vacations.
Some of the children, who spoke with the Eastern File, said they decided to join the Yeji bandwagon to raise money for their school fees, since school was on long vacation, whilst others claimed they were visiting their parents. The traffickers, who claimed they were the parents of the children, have since been arrested by the police to assist in investigations, before their wards would be released to them, if proved otherwise.