A recent investigation by BBC Africa Eye has raised concerns about the practices of the US-based anti-human trafficking organization, International Justice Mission (IJM), in Ghana. The documentary titled “The Night They Came for Our Children” alleges that IJM may be involved in falsely separating children from their families as part of their operations.
According to the BBC investigation, there were two specific cases where IJM collaborated with the Ghana Police Service and the social service department in anti-trafficking operations. However, the documentary claims that there was little to no evidence of trafficking in both cases. Despite this, children were taken away from their homes, and their relatives faced prosecution, leading to some of them being imprisoned.
One operation took place in Mogyigna, a community in Northern Ghana, in September 2022. During the operation, four children were forcibly removed from their beds, and two of their uncles were arrested at gunpoint by the police. The children’s grandmother was left with unanswered questions. The BBC investigation suggests that the aggressive nature of the operation was fueled by a target-driven culture within IJM.
The documentary uncovered internal messages within IJM that indicated a different conclusion had been drawn by the charity compared to what was communicated to the police and social services. A legal officer within IJM noted in a message that there were “no elements of trafficking” in the case of one of the children, named Fatima, and two of the other children taken from Mogyigna. However, the organization proceeded with the belief that all four children, aged between five and 11, were at risk of being used for child labor.
The children were separated from their families for four months before an investigation by Ghanaian social services concluded that they had not been trafficked. The children were eventually reunited with their families. Another case highlighted by the BBC investigation involved the removal of a boy and his sibling from their family in 2019, which resulted in their mother, Mawusi Amlade, being sentenced to five years in prison for child trafficking. Her conviction was later overturned after intervention from another US NGO, the Sudreau Global Justice Institute.
The documentary also includes conversations with IJM staff members, where they discuss the pressure to achieve a certain number of rescues and prosecutions each year. The undercover reporter was told that staff members could be denied pay raises or face the risk of dismissal if they did not meet these targets. IJM has denied the allegations of practicing a target-driven culture and maintains that its approach prioritizes the welfare of the child.
The investigation raises significant concerns about the procedures and decision-making processes of IJM in Ghana. The allegations of unjustly separating children from their families and the potential impact on innocent individuals who were prosecuted are deeply troubling. The documentary calls into question the accountability and effectiveness of anti-trafficking operations carried out by IJM and highlights the importance of thorough scrutiny and oversight in such sensitive and complex endeavors.