A non-governmental organisation, Challenging Heights over the weekend rescued 17 trafficked children from the Volta Lake.
The children, aged between five and seventeen, were made up of four girls, and 13 boys.
This brings to 1,600 the total number of children the organization has rescued since it was established some 12 years ago.
Some of these 17 children have worked for nearly twelve years in servitude, working under very deplorable conditions.
In an interview with the media, the President of Challenging Heights, James Kofi Annan, called for urgent government action to address the situation.
He praised the Ministry of Gender for working towards the establishment of the Human Trafficking National Action Plan, but expressed disappointment that the government is failing to resource the various institutions such as the Ghana Police Service, and the Human Trafficking Secretariat, both of which are key if the country is to see an end to the problem.
Child trafficking in the fishing industry has been a problem for the Ghanaian government for several decades. It is estimated that there are over 21,000 working children on Lake Volta alone, and there are several thousands more going through various forms of abuse.
in 2016, the American government warned that Ghana risk losing a lot of the aid money if steps are not taken to address child trafficking in the country.
Challenging Heights works in several communities across Ghana, to rescue, rehabilitate and re-integrate children who have been affected by worst forms of child labor, including trafficking.
The organisation, which recently launched its new 5-year strategic plan, is also involved with the provision of livelihoods training and support for several hundreds of women who are affected by trafficking.
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Credit: Challenging Heights