THE issues of human trafficking and child labour are real in the northern part of the country. One can feel its pervasiveness in the rural communities, where deprivation and poverty stare one in the face.
Indeed, the lack of job opportunities, coupled with parental irresponsibility and the resultant endemic poverty in the area are some of the reasons why the practice still persists, despite the various interventions and attempts by the government and civil society organisations to stop the negative practice.
Most of the children from northern Ghana migrate down south to engage in menial jobs just to make a living due to the same reasons. The children, majority of whom are girls, also drop out of school to join the bandwagon at the least opportunity.
Other reasons include ignorance and child fostering that is widely practised in the area, where children under 10 are sent to relatives for grooming. Such children are often turned into maids and are not enrolled in school. This compels them to migrate, sometimes without the knowledge of their parents or guardians.
The children eventually end up on the markets and streets of Accra and Kumasi, where some of them chase traders and shoppers and even struggle among themselves to carry the wares of these shoppers and traders in return for pittance.
They normally look shabby, unkempt and hungry. They sleep at open spaces, under stalls, verandas and in kiosks, where they are exposed to the vagaries of the weather and are sometimes raped and defiled.
The ‘‘lucky’’ ones finally return home with babies who do not know their fathers, while others come back maimed. Some are also forced to go home after contracting various diseases, including the deadly HIV/AIDS.
It is for these reasons that the National Programme Co-ordinator of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Mr Mathew Dally, has entreated district assemblies to take ownership and responsibility of development projects by incorporating human trafficking and forced labour issues into their Medium Term Development plans, to ensure sustainability of the project effects.
‘‘It is worthy of note that donors will come and go but the development of the district will continue to be the responsibility of the district assembly and the people,’’ he stressed.
The co-ordinator made the appeal after presenting Yahama motorbikes, bicycles and mobile phones to some communities in the Tolon/Kumbungu District in the Northern Region.
The three beneficiary communities are Gbanjon, Garizegu and Galinkpegu. The donation formed part of an ILO pilot project dubbed: ‘‘Enhancing Communities’ Capacity in Nigeria and Ghana to combat human trafficking.
The project is being funded by the German Development Organisation (GTZ). The Regional Advisory, Information and Network Systems (RAINS), a Tamale-based NGO is one of the local advocacy partners.
Under the project, traditional leaders, 25 per cent of whom are women in beneficiary communities, are sensitised while Community Vigilance Groups, which also include 25-per cent female membership, are trained on advocacy and monitoring.
Hotlines for victims and witnesses of human trafficking would also be established and orientated towards gender-specific measures to prevent and detect incidents of trafficking.
‘‘The presentation of the equipment adds a new and symbolic element to the global struggle against child labour and trafficking, exemplified by the rapid ratification of the UN Convention 182 of 1999 by over 100 countries, including Ghana,’’ Mr Dally explained.
The consultant of the project, Mr Kwasi Amenuvor, said the needs assessment for the programme included the training of opinion leaders, the formation and training of community vigilance groups.
He advised the beneficiaries to take good care of the equipment and use it for the intended purpose of preventing child trafficking.
Mr Amenuvor stated further that trafficking in persons in the West African sub-region alone involved between 200,000 and 800,000 persons and that it yielded illicit profits estimated at $9 billion globally for people he described as criminal groups and networks at both internal and international levels.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Mr Wahabu Suhuyini Wumbei, in a speech read on his behalf, called for effective collaboration between community members and other players in combating forced labour and human trafficking.
He expressed concern over the increasing number of such cases in northern Ghana, which has been identified as the major source and transit of trafficked labour in the country.
The DCE advised parents and guardians to take advantage of the Capitation Grant and the School Feeding Programme by enrolling their children and wards in school and make sure that they stayed and completed schooling.
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