Survivor-led campaign in Ghana leads to freedom for two boys
Safety
December 2024
An 11-year-old boy and his 16-year-old brother have been brought to safety from trafficking, following community outreach led by the Ghana Survivor Network.
Survivor leaders had been raising awareness about trafficking in their community, as part of a national campaign.
When one woman learned about the impact of trafficking on children, she shared that she had sent her two children to work on Lake Volta. She’d been given approximately £15 and promised that they would be enrolled in school.
When she visited her sons, she learned that they were not being treated well - but the fisherman refused to let her take them home. She asked the survivor leaders to help bring her sons back, and they put her in contact with IJM.
IJM directed her to the local police station to report the case. Further police investigations confirmed that the children had been with the fisherman for the past four years – since the youngest boy was just seven.
The brothers had not been enrolled in school as promised but were forced to work all night on the lake and only had one meal a day.
The Ghana Police Service and Department of Social Welfare (DSW), with the support of IJM, brought the two boys to safety and arrested two suspects. The boys are receiving support to heal through DSW and IJM’s survivor services team.
This is the power of survivor-led community engagement, creating ripple effects leading to freedom and protection for children.
Healing from trafficking is a long process. Give now to help IJM support children like these two boys in Ghana to find hope again >>