End Modern Slavery assists withdrawal of a trafficked victim sold for Gh¢ 500.00
Mr. Afasi Komla, Director of End Modern Slavery of Engage Now Africa
End Modern Slavery (EMS) Team in Ghana from Engage Now Africa (ENA) in partnership with the community leaders in Big Ada, a fishing community in the Ada East District of the Greater Accra Region withdraws a 16 year old girl Gifty from trafficking and forced labor.
According to findings from End Modern Slavery (EMS) of Engage Now Africa (ENA), Gifty, according to the aunty was sold out by the family for Gh¢ 500.00 into slavery after she was branded “Accursed” by a Pastor in the Ada locality. She was then trafficked to Yeji a destination community which host trafficked children and are subject into fishing activities denying them of their education and basic rights. The Aunty further expressed that, the suspected slave master pays Gh¢ 50.00 to Gh¢100.00 to the parents as a compensation.
JUST IN: Government releases full list of its achievements in the Health Sector
“Gifty happens to be one of those children who have found themselves in such barbaric situation in Ghana. Most indigenous communities and families are easily persuaded by some soothsayers who are believed to be endowed with some powers to see into the inner spirit of human beings and therefore are able to make accurate declarations of a person’s being and character, which Gifty happens to fall victim as one of those underprivileged children who suffers such atrocious actions in some Ghanaian communities. By this declaration, family members believe that she is evil and pose a threat to them, so long as she remains in the same household with them,” The report has added.
Engage Now Africa (ENA) provided Gifty with victim support services placed under her aunt’s care who End Modern Slavery (EMS) team thought will uphold the best in the girl and she is also currently enrolled in a shelter school in the same communities. Gifty has since being placed under ENA school support and monitoring.
Government outlines top achievements in the Education Sector – Check details here.
The findings further explained that, a similar story away from Gifty’s trended recently in Ghana, where a woman, believed to be in her 90’s, was lynched at Kafaba in the East Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region. Reports indicate that the gruesome incident took place after a soothsayer, who was brought into the community to allegedly cast out witchcraft, mentioned the victim. In a video which fast circulated on social media here in Ghana, the deceased denied being a witch and appealed to the soothsayer to spare her but her plea fell on deaf ears.
Women are their Own Enemies – Prof. Ransford Gyampo Reacts to the Sad Lynching of 90 years old woman
The incident saw two young women slapping, whipping and hitting the old woman’s head with heavy items. Other community members, who witnessed the incident, only stood to instigate the actions against her until she passed on in their very presence.
End Modern Slavery (EMS) team on that mission led by its Director Mr. Afasi Komla held a brief forum with the family, they were sensitized on the issues of trafficking, child labor and its legality to eradicate among them the falsehood they have upheld by those “quake” soothsayers’ over years, the message was well disseminated and almost all the family were touched by the effort of ENA and promised to protect the safety of Gifty.
Speaking to one of the Coverghana.com.gh reporter Madam Tabitha Kugbonu, Mr. Afasi noted that, the root cause of Human trafficking is poverty, ignorance and development gap between cities and villages keep widening.
JJ Rawlings calls for thorough investigation into lynching of 90-Year-Old Woman
“We have highly educated people fall victims of fraud and been trafficking, due to lack of knowledge on the subject. The solution to these challenges is to create awareness, advocate against modern slavery, facilitate a deeper understanding of the human trafficking in vulnerable communities and provide sustainable livelihood support training program to the vulnerable, he added.”
ENA is therefore making a passionate appeal to the general public to collaborate with them to end such barbaric actions in our society.
SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh
