Initiative against child trafficking

Initiative against child trafficking and child-working at the Voltasee

Together with our Ghanaian partners, we have developed a programme to really improve the situation of the children, and to tackle and fight the cause of child trafficking directly at its root. The reasons for families to sell their children are poverty and their inability to provide for all of their children. The fishermen on the other side want cheap labour. These issues have to be tackled – jointly with the parents and the fishermen.

Parents sell their children for different reasons:

• poverty
• too many children, no family planning, no preventive health care
• false pretensions and false promises from the buyers in regards of the future of the children
• money in exchange for the child
• false understandings of “tradition“
• ignorance of legal bases and principles.

Measures to inform and to help the parents:

• micro-loans
• self-help projects, so that it is no longer necessary to sell the children
• information and education on legal bases and principles

Fishermen use and rely on child labour for different reasons:

• cheap labour
• wrong belief (superstition) that children can dive longer and deeper
• wrong belief that children are physically better equipped (e.g. smaller hands)
• protection of their own children
• no law enforcement
• unawareness and ignorance of legal bases and principles
• modern technology and adult workers are too expensive

Measures to inform and to help the fishermen:

• self-help projects, so that is no longer necessary to buy the children
• information and education on legal bases and principles

Rescue of the sold children:

The children are freed from their terrible situation by our partner-organization IJM (International Justice Mission) and handed over into our care. After their rescue, they find a safe place in our children’s home in Ho. They receive medical and psychological treatment and go to school. The further procedure and their future will be decided by the Ghanaian Ministry of Social Welfare. The ultimate goal is to bring the children back to their families and their former communities. For the long term, the children have to be able to get along in their own culture. That is why we try to find family members that can take care of them.

How can you help?

With a sponsorship you can provide and safe a place for a rescued child at our children’s home. With your steady donation, you help us to make sure that the children that come to us are provided with what they need e.g. medical and psychological treatment, food, clothes, education and love and care thanks to our foster parents.

THE PROJECT AREA AT LAKE VOLTA