Plight of trafficked children

By Helena Selby
“Let the children come to me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” the biblical words proclaimed in the Holy Scriptures. How gracious of the Lord to give great priority to children, as this shows how important children really are. Just like God has great thoughts of the children, which many believe are not evil thoughts, parents should also have the same thoughts of their children.
Parents, as a result of their quest to find a better life for their children, tend to give their children to other people, believing that they are headed for greener pastures, since they cannot afford to give them the life they dreamed of for them. This situation, later, turns into the trafficking of the children.
Child trafficking usually occurs as a result of extreme poverty. In Ghana, and many parts of Africa, economic hardship is the commonest problem - and even in some developed countries. Due to this worldwide phenomenon, the cost of living in some countries is very high, and coming by money for three square meals a day is difficult. To most people living in extreme poverty, and without any means of livelihood, apart from engaging in unlawful activities, seeking for help from close relatives is the only alternative. It is terrifying to know that many people, from the tender stage of life, are condemned to a future of hustling in poverty.
Poverty, being one of the decisive factors for child trafficking and Africa with its situation of poverty, is considered one of the continents concentrated with child trafficking. No wonder, the United Nations (UN), in its conclusion of a report, described Niger, in West Africa, as the worst place to live in the world, because life expectancy there is 44.6 years, with 71 per cent of its adults illiterate, and 79 per cent of children there do not attend school.
GlobalMarch.com refers to child trafficking as any act or transaction, whereby a child is transferred by any person or group of persons to another, for remuneration or any other consideration. This generally results in them being commercially exploited at all times.
The situation in Ghana
Trafficking of children most often happens to rural dwellers, especially to poor parents and guardians. Normally urban dwellers, on their visits to the rural areas, convince parents, guardians and children of a better life and education in the city.
On the other hand, parents with a vision for their children, give them out to people who seem to have been successful in the cities, to bring them up.
How sad for the children, as most often their families are ignorant about the life and treatments that await the child. In time, they come face to face with the opposite of the paradise they thought awaited them. In some cases the most decent activity they are fortunate to get into, is domestic work.
Preventing child trafficking has become one of the priorities of the media, especially the television and other non-governmental bodies, to the extent that adverts are being shown as to how the practice is like, and how it can be prevented.
Thank God philanthropists still exist in this world of ours; thank God their help often reaches the purposed targets; their gracious intentions to arrest the situation, always give them the pleasure to sponsor adverts on the local televisions, and also give donations when the occasion calls for it, with the objective of disseminating the message to the public.
In Ghana some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), like the Commission for Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) and human rights activists, have worked, and are continuing to, towards issues of child trafficking, and so far have achieved considerable results.
Despite the fact that the NGOs are doing their best to eradicate the issue of child trafficking, the problem keeps on arising, every now and then, in some of the regions.
The Chronicle Newspaper of July 11, 2008, reported an issue concerning child trafficking. According to the report, child trafficking was on the increase in three districts of the country, namely Krachi East and West, in the Volta Region, and the Sene District and in the Brong Ahafo Region.
Geneva Global, Partners in Community Development Programme (PACODEM), and Touch and Light Ministry, which are NGOs, are very disappointed in the frequent trafficking of children, and the disrespect of laws that protect the right of children.
PACODEM, through their investigations, discovered that 17 trafficked children were rescued in five fishing communities, namely Old Yabi, Wodzedzi, Lala, Old Nkomi and Old Nanasewi.
The organisation (PACODEM), in collaboration with Geneva Global, was able to rescue 120 trafficked children in the three districts, with more of such children still living in difficult conditions. The two bodies, through their help to humanity, were able to house some of these children at the PACODEM Rehabilitation Centre, where they are being counseled and attending school, before reuniting with their parents.
The situation in the world
Child trafficking, just like an epidemic, is spreading rapidly throughout the world. UNICEF through its research discovered that child trafficking, was becoming an increasing global problem, affecting large numbers of children. Some estimates have as many as 1.2 million children being trafficked every year. There is a demand for trafficked children, as cheap labour or for sexual exploitation.
Mexico’s Social Service Agency reports that there are more than 16,000 children engaged in prostitution, with tourist destinations, being among those areas with the highest number.
Children from Togo, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana, are trafficked to Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Gabon. Children are trafficked both in and out of Benin and Nigeria. Some children are sent as far away as the Middle East.
Examples of child trafficking
In Ghana, some cultural practices tend to be a stumbling block to the freedom of children. Trokosi is one of the cultural practices in the Volta Region of Ghana, and can be found especially among the Ewe tribe.
With this practice, a virgin girl is taken to a shrine, to pay for the wrongdoings of a family member, especially the parents. The girl is bestowed to the shine, so loses the chance of getting married to any man, since she is believed to be married to the fetish priest, immediately the rite is performed.
The priest, due to this, begins to have sex with her at a tender age. Decisions concerning her life lie in the hands of the priest - her so-called husband. Though it is illegal, its abolition has being very difficult, since most of the people are steeped in their traditional beliefs.
Child soldiers in certain parts of Africa and the world is another form of child-slavery, especially in war-torn areas, for instance Somalia, Sudan, Chad and other places with political instability.
Unfortunate children, instead of they being taken care of by the older ones, are forcibly conscripted as child-soldiers. They are taken into horrifying situations and experiences, which in turn makes them have no sense of fear, respect, or pity for human life.
This form of child trafficking has been agitated against by some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and human rights activists, and has yielded some results, but not to a very large extent.
In terms of sexual exploitation, children trafficked from the rural areas are the main victims. With the dream of wallowing in greener pastures in the cities, parents willingly give their children to urban dwellers.
Madams and pimps give these children out as prostitutes and very pathetic, ignorant men take these children to bed.
What are governments doing?
The government of Ghana, observing the plight of victims of various abuses, brought up the idea of a unit in the police force known as the Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU), which was later changed to the Domestic Violence Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), in 1998.
This unit works closely with the Department of Social Welfare, International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and the Legal Aid. Apart from handling cases of domestic violence, juvenile offence and child delinquency, it also handles cases of child abuse.
When the situation calls for medical attention, they refer victims for medical care and counseling. Apart from that, they also have clinical psychologists and counselors, who provide counseling free of charge.
The main idea behind the free services of the DOVVSU is to make the service available to all, so as to enable anybody with a complaint to seek redress and assistance.
The DOVVSU is mandated to enforcing the law, and protecting the vulnerable, and not making criminals out of victims.
It is very unfortunate that the introduction of this unit in the police force, to help victims of defilement and other abuses, is being shunned.
Owing to the fact that, the issue of sex is always considered private, in the Ghanaian culture when one is defiled, the victim ends up being stigmatized, so might not find a suitor in the future, due to this, the issue of defilement is always kept secret.
Conclusion
If we save the children, it is emphatic that we are saving the future of the nation. Protecting their interests and rights will help them have confidence in themselves. It can be done, if people learn to have sympathy for them, and not demand anything beyond their ability, in return it will go long way to help them build their dreams, and also extend it to the next generation.