Accra: More than 130,000 people are estimated to be victims of trafficking, with a significant number of these being children. Even more concerning is that 20,000 of these trafficked individuals are children working in the fishing industry, specifically on the Volta Lake. Madam Kathleen Addy, Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), made these disclosures at a sensitisation workshop for civic educators under the auspices of the International Justice Mission (IJM).
According to Ghana News Agency, the two-day intensive capacity building workshop seeks to consolidate technical knowledge and strengthen NCCE's frontline role in prevention, civic reporting, justice coordination, and survivor-centred response. The workshop is themed 'Strengthening District-Level Prevention, Justice and Coordinated Response to Child Trafficking in Ghana.' Madam Addy detailed the dire conditions these children face, forced into servitude to dive deep underwater to untangle fishing nets, working under harsh and dangerous conditions.
She highlighted that about 21 percent of children between the ages of five and 17 are engaged in child labour, with 14 percent involved in hazardous work-conditions that expose them to exploitation and trafficking. Child trafficking, she noted, destroys lives, exposes children to physical danger, emotional trauma, and psychological scars that last a lifetime. These circumstances deny them education, strip them of their dignity, and trap them in cycles of poverty that could persist for generations, with many cases remaining unreported.
Despite Ghana's strong legal and policy framework, operational gaps at district and community levels continue to undermine prevention, early identification, effective referral, and justice outcomes. In many high-risk communities, trafficking practices are normalised; early warning signs go unreported, and civic follow-through remains weak. Madam Addy stressed the necessity of strengthening enforcement, investing in child protection systems, educating families and communities, tackling poverty and inequality, and refusing to normalise these practices.
Mr. Worlanyo Kojo Forster, National Director, Advocacy and Partnerships of International Justice Mission (IJM), reported that in 2022 alone, IJM provided training to 365 individuals, including 25 local law enforcement officers, 71 judiciary and public prosecutors, and two members of social services and regulatory agencies. Strengthening justice systems to enforce the law deters criminals and protects people from violence, combating commercial sex exploitation.
Since 2015, IJM has worked with the government to minimise child trafficking and has recently expanded its focus to the agricultural sector, addressing serious issues of child trafficking and child labour. IJM aims to build a legion of experts through institutional capacity building workshops and seminars to strengthen the justice system, collaborate with prosecutors, use collaborative measures, create awareness, and address emerging trends in organ harvesting.
Mr. Forster explained IJM's decision to forge a stronger collaboration with NCCE, leveraging its well-established structures across the country to foster deeper cooperation towards minimising child trafficking and child labour. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the entities, involving civic educators from NCCE across 10 regions and 35 districts.