7 trafficked male children rescued in the Volta Region - Police Command

The Deputy Volta Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Andrews Boadu Akuma said some seven trafficked male children have been rescued in Mafi Nayibor within the Central Tongu District the Volta region.

He mentioned this on Friday, 10 December 2021 during District Police Commanders' summit on the fight against Human Trafficking in Ho organized by an NGO, International Justice Mission (IJM).

"On 30th November 2021 for instance, the International Needs, Accra collaborated with the Volta Regional Anti-Human Trafficking unit to rescue seven male children whose ages ranged from 7 to 16 from Central Tongu District that is Mafi Nayibor who have been used as cattle headers. The Children have since been taken to the shelter in Accra, one suspect aged 78 was arrested and currently on bail assisting in an investigation" he said.

ACP, further noted that the Volta Region has recorded "a lot of successes in the past years in arresting, prosecuting of traffickers" adding that, "Many of these victims also been rescued were united with their parents or guardians".

He said the handling of Human Trafficking cases demands collaborative work and the Police is ready to do the needful but "The Police institution alone do not have the resources such as the logistics and expertise in dealing with this canker"

The Commander, however, called for equipment of the Police saying "Resources are therefore needed at every stage of the system, particularly the first stage which is the law enforcement as we all know the criminal justice system in Ghana begins with the Police it is therefore important as senior Police officers, we're equipped with the supervisory managerial skils to enable us directly supervise our investigators and prosecutors effectively".

He, however, thanked IJM and the USA Department for "their continuous support in building the capacity and competitiveness of our personnel"

International Justice Mission is a global organization that protects people in poverty from violence. IJM partners with local authorities in 24 program offices in 14 countries to combat trafficking and slavery, violence against women and children, and police abuse of power. In Ghana, IJM's main focus is on combating slavery on Volta lake.