Lost in Traffic
The Hidden Plight of Ghana's
Children Sold into Slavery
by Anna H. Bedford
A "slave master" surrounded
by some of the trafficked children
that are exploited in Accra Town, a fishing community
on an island in the middle of Lake Volta
The slave trade
has long been abolished in Ghana-or has it? A national study
shows that children in all parts of the country are still being
abducted and sold for forced labor.
Four enslaved boys on a break from
their work, fishing
We were at Kotoka Airport in Accra, Ghana, with the humid
night air clinging to us like honey on bread. We were the 16
Presbyterian Women Global Exchange participants who had spent
11 image-rich days in Ghana, now on our way to join the rest
of our group in Kenya. Mentally, we were bidding farewell to
Ghana's symphony of sounds, sights, songs and stories, preparing
for the six-hour night flight to Kenya, where a whole new set
of experiences would greet us.
Young girls trafficked into domestic
work
But there was one more postscript to our trip. A call was
heard. "It's Emelia! She's outside and she's brought the
books she promised!" Sure enough, a sympathetic airport
guard let a couple of us slip through the barriers and soon $5
bills and a pile of study books were being exchanged. Emelia
Oguaah, a small, dynamic woman, who is program manager for the
Africa Center for Human Development, had followed us from Ho
to Accra to be sure that we did not leave without seeing the
study she completed for a Danish nongovernmental organization
called DANIDA (Danish International Development Agency). Her
research report was titled, The Little Ghanaian Slaves: A
Cry for Help.
Here's What You Can Do
Sexual trafficking affects millions of women worldwide, but
you can do something to help give these women a better life.
Here are some specific ways to take action.
International Justice Mission
The International Justice Mission works to rescue girls from
forced prostitution, working with indigenous government officials
and even raiding brothels. To learn more, visit www.ijm.org or
call 888/456-4499.
Heifer Project
Buy a farm animal for a needy woman and you'll give her the resources
she needs to support herself. To learn more, visit www.heifer.org
or call 800/489-5575.
Maiti Nepal
This Nepali organization crusades to help victims of sexual trafficking.
To sponsor a victim, make a donation or just find out more information
visit www.maitinepal.org.
National Worker Exploitation Task Force
If you suspect anyone of human trafficking, contact the United
States Department of Justice. Visit www.usdoj.gov or call 888/428-7581.
International Organization for Migration
IOM has begun implementing a program to free and return home
hundreds of trafficed children. For more information on trafficking
or what you can do visit www.iom.int or call 202/862-1826, ext.
228.
Antislavery International
A human rights organization that works exclusively against slavery
and related abuses at local, national and international levels
to eliminate the system of slavery around the world. Visit www.antislavery.org
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is in partnership with two
churches in Ghana-Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) and Evangelical
Presbyterian Church, Ghana (EPC). While headquartered
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