Ten children who had been forced into fishing on the Volta Lake have been rescued by the Oti Regional Police Command, the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) of the Krachie East and Biakoye Districts, with assistance from the International Justice Mission (IJM).
Nine and one children were transported to safety in two separate operations that were launched on October 5th and 7th, 2022, respectively.
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Three of these survivors were found to have worked in dangerous conditions while the other three were victims of child labor.
In the wee hours of October 5 in Adakope in the Krachie East District of the Oti Region, a rescue took place.
Three other children were freed from forced labor and six other trafficking minors were saved.
Five boat captain suspects were taken into custody.
“The survivors, aged 9 to 16 years, were subjected to neglect and emotional abuse. They were used by their boat masters for hazardous fishing activities on the Volta Lake. This included hook and line and bamboo fishing. At the time of rescue, many of them suffered Malaria, STIs, skin infection, bilharzia, oral hygiene and malnutrition,” a member of International Justice Mission-Ghana, Kojo Owiredu Kissi narrated in a press release dated October 27, 2022.
Below is the full details of the operations:
