Child trafficking common in parts of Accra, Volta Regions - Police

The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service is cautioning the Ghanaian public against travel agents, especially regarding traveling overseas, asking prospective travelers to contact the unit to authenticate the agencies involved.

The iterated call has become imperative given the rising child tracking cases in parts of Greater Accra and Volta Regions, and the modus operandi of some travel agents who are human traffickers in disguise.

This was made known at an Anti-Human Trafficking forum for Chiefs and Queens at Dodowa.

The forum sought to involve the traditional rulers who are more visible in the communities as integral and potential collaborators in the fight against human trafficking.

The Director of Anti-Human Trafficking at the Ghana Police Service, Chief Superintendent Mike Baah, said per their records, child trafficking is surging in Dodowa, Ada Battor and Aveyime in the Greater Accra and Volta Regions as the majority of these children are used as cattle herds. 

These children, some of whom are below ten (10) years are subjected to inhuman treatments such as starvation, physical and emotional abuses as well as exposure to harsh weather conditions that turn to jeopardize their future. 

Chief Superintendent Baah reminded that the act is criminal and attracts imprisonment from 5 to 25 years irrespective of the relationship between the culprit and the victim, and warned parents and guardians against the growing phenomenon.

Given the latest model of human trafficking, Mr. Baah implored individuals who intend to travel through agents to crosscheck from the EOCO, Ghana Immigration Service, and the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service to forestall being trafficked in the long run.

Child and a Victim Advocate of the Abuse Relief Corps, a collaborating NGO, Janet Owusu, pleaded with politicians and traditional leaders to stop interfering in issues involving child trafficking offenders to send a clear signal to actors and help minimize the worrying development.