Thriving child trafficking rate major concern – Public members
A section of the public have expressed concern about the thriving rate of child trafficking in the country.
They said the situation was nothing good to write home about as the situation did not only exploit children and expose them to hazards, but had the rights of children also trampled upon.
Child trafficking is the situation where children and young people are tricked, forced or persuaded to leave their homes and are moved or transported and then exploited, forced to work or sold.
In an interview with the Ghanaian Times in Accra on Thursday, a petty trader at New Bortianor, Emelia Appiah said she spotted children hawking in her neighborhood during school hours and her enquiries revealed that they were promised to be taken to school when they were brought to city by the guardians.
She also lamented the increasing rate of children who were hawking on the streets and called on parents and guardians to adopt family planning methods if catering for a lot of children would be a problem.
Mr Alex Osei, a businessman at Kaneshie revealed that some children were brought from other parts of the country and beyond to the capital to solicit for funds in traffic.
He said the minds of such children had been psyched to believe everything told them by their traffickers.
Mr Osei therefore, urged the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to strengthen its protocols at the country’s borders and look out for such cases.
Mabel Annan, a food vendor at circle said her heart grieved with pain anytime she spotted children wandering aimlessly saying, that was cause for concern.
She also said her enquiries revealed that some parents were the brains behind their children being on the streets.
Ms Annan said the children in the area she sells were mostly seen serving as conductors and collecting metal scraps.
He urged the government to as a matter of urgency, enforce policies on anti-child trafficking to curb if not eradicate the menace.
A pharmacist at Weija who only gave his name as Nana Kwame said the situation was an eye saw.
He said people over there were known for fishing and farming, as such, children were engaged as labourers and given little or nothing in return.
Nana Kwame said parents of these children also saw nothing wrong with the situation and that impeded one from doing anything to help the matter.
Hence, he reiterated calls forsensitisation and strict enforcement for traffickers to end the menace.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, has launched a five-year strategic plan to combat human trafficking in the country.
The plan, which spans from 2022 to 2026, is aimed at preventing human trafficking, protect victims of human trafficking and prosecute offenders of human trafficking in the country.
BY ABIGAIL ARTHUR
