Police intercept minors on suspicion of being trafficked
The Police Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, in collaboration with Challenging Heights, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has intercepted 30 children at Bunso Junction, in the Eastern Region on suspicion of being trafficked to Yeji in the Brong Ahafo Region.
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The group, 11 boys and 19 girls aged between three and 17 years, also included an 18-year-old girl, and two young men aged 19 and 22, who claimed they were travelling to Yeji in the Brong-Ahafo Region.
Briefing the press in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional Public Relations Officer of the Police Service, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Yaw Nketia-Yeboah, said the children were in different vehicles.
He said the children, who were in groups, were coming from Ada, Ningo, Dowenya, Tema, Sogakope, Jita, Tefle and other communities along the coast.
ASP Nketia-Yeboah said during this time of the year children are trafficked to various parts of the country, especially the fishing communities along the Volta Lake.
Claims by the children
He said when the children were interviewed some claimed they were going to their parents to collect their school fees while others said they were going to their parents to spend the vacation .
ASP Nketia-Yeboah said the Police were conducting investigations to screen the children and advised parents not to allow their children to travel alone for long distances without any elderly person accompanying them because the children could be exposed to many dangers.
He appealed to drivers, passengers and Ghanaians to notify the police of any minor who was travelling alone or travelling in the company of a person suspected not to be their relative.
Mr James Kofi Annan, the President of Challenging Heights, Ghana, said there were over 21,000 children in slavery at Yeji as a result of child trafficking, adding that so far his outfit had been able to rescue 1,200 children from slavery.
Challenges
The Director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Police Service, Superintendent of Police Patience Quaye, said the unit was faced with challenges such as initial support, in terms of food, water, clothing and shelter to be given to such victims to enable them to settle down before interrogation begins.
She also complained about court cases involving child traffickers and said such cases took a long time at the courts and called for co-operation from all related organisations to speed up the trial of such cases.