Two boys escape suspected trafficking in Ghana

May 2025

Earlier this year, two boys in Ghana, aged 11 and 14, ran away from a fisherman who was abusing them. The boys are now safe, and the marine police are conducting follow-up investigations.

After escaping, the boys spent three days alone on the lake, until another fisherman spotted them. They shared that they were trying to get back home. The fisherman brought the boys ashore and reported the case to the police.

“These boys are very brave and strong. To paddle a canoe and sleep on the lake for three days is not easy,” the Marine Police Chief Inspector said.

The police discovered that the children had been taken to the area by a fisherman unrelated to them, who’d changed their surnames to his own. He’d warned them never to use their real names again.

The 11-year-old boy said he had been there so long that he couldn’t remember when he arrived. The older boy estimated he had been there for about a year.

Both said they were beaten every day, morning and night. The violence was especially frequent when they were forced to go fishing on Lake Volta.

The police immediately handed the boys over to the Department of Social Welfare. Given the boys’ vulnerability, the Chief Inspector, who had received training from IJM, opted not to place them at a local shelter.

Instead, they were cared for under police protection until a suitable shelter in a different area could be secured. IJM assisted with transportation to take the boys safely there.

This is the impact of increased community sensitisation and responsive, coordinated action among local stakeholders. Ordinary citizens, like the fisherman who reported this case, can become frontline responders when they are aware of trafficking and empowered to act.

Their actions, backed by trained authorities, can make the difference between freedom and exploitation for vulnerable children.

Learn more about IJM’s work in Ghana >>

*Pseudonym: The image is an actor and does not depict an IJM survivor.