Child Trafficking a Major Problem in Africa, Tara Boyle
Washington, DC
http://allafrica.com/stories/200406160654.htmlGhanaian chief describes efforts to combat child labor
For the scores of boys who work in the fishing industry on Ghana's Lake Volta, life is more than simply grueling and monotonous -- it is slavery, with no schools, no medical care, and no hope.
The boys, some as young as six years old, have been sold by their families to spend their days rowing boats across the lake and pulling nets laden with fish from the water.
More than a year ago, Togbega Hadjor, paramount chief of Ghana's Bakpa Traditional Area, where child trafficking has been common, committed himself to ending this exploitation of children when the International Organization for Migration (IOM) asked for his help in combating child slavery in the Lake Volta region.
Hadjor was among several heroes in the fight against human trafficking who were honored in Washington June 14 when the U.S. Department of State released its annual Trafficking in Persons Report. The report evaluated efforts by 140 countries around the world to combat human trafficking, and ranked countries in tiers that correspond to their efforts to end the practice.
When the IOM approached him, Hadjor put together a list of 13 villages in his region where child trafficking was taking place, and held community meetings to discuss ways to reintegrate boys who had been working in the fishing industry. Over the past year, 228 children have been rescued from forced labor on Lake Volta, and Hadjor has helped many of them enroll in school and reunite with their families.
"The problem is being overcome. When I have people approach me, I advise them that they should remove their children [from slavery], and they've been doing it," he said.
Among nations in sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana was the only one to be listed as a "Tier One" nation for its strong efforts to prevent child trafficking. The report found that Ghana has excelled at protecting victims of trafficking and reintegrating them into their communities, although it still urged the Ghanaian government to pass anti-trafficking legislation.
Three nations in sub-Saharan Africa -- Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Sudan -- received a "Tier Three" or least favorable ranking in the report for failing to make reasonable attempts to end the exploitation of minors. In Equatorial Guinea, the report found, the government has not used the resources from its petroleum industry to do anything to alleviate the situation. In Sierra Leone, it said, the government recognizes that trafficking is a problem, but has not made substantial efforts to prevent it.
The report was particularly critical of Sudan, noting, "Government officials deny the existence of trafficking in Sudan." It is estimated that 17,500 people have been abducted in Sudan since 1980.
Nations ranked as Tier Three face the possibility of losing U.S. aid if they do not make an effort to combat human trafficking. Globally, 10 countries were included on the Tier Three list.
The report indicated that child trafficking is a particularly challenging problem in Africa because of the practice of "fostering" or "placement" of children. Under this traditional system, children are sent to live with relatives or other trusted individuals, and are given schooling or learn a trade. Yet "in all too many cases, the child is trafficked into a situation of forced domestic servitude, street vending, or sexual exploitation," the authors wrote.
In Ghana's Bakpa Traditional Area, where Chief Hadjor has helped reunite children with their families, trafficking has been driven by economic need. Communities downstream from Lake Volta that once supported themselves through farming and fishing have been left destitute by the construction of two dams on the Volta River, and many families that sent their children to work on the lake did so because they could no longer support them.
Hadjor sees another underlying cause of child trafficking: polygamy. Men who marry several wives and have large families often find themselves unable to support their children, he said.
When will It Stop?
Author
