16 Young Children Rescued from Human Trafficking in Ghana
Irving, Texas (PRWEB) November 06, 2015 -- Sixteen children have been rescued from forced labor trafficking in the Yeji region of Ghana by the Ghanaian Department of Social Welfare in partnership with Touch A Life. Eleven girls and five boys ranging from six to 11 years of age were found separated from their families and enslaved as fishing and domestic workers on the banks of Lake Volta. Now rescued, all 16 children have been placed at Touch A Life’s Care Center in Kumasi, Ghana, to receive long-term rehabilitative care specific to the trafficked child. “The rescued children were accompanied by the Yeji Social Welfare Director and police escort and were brought to the Touch A Life Care Center on Saturday afternoon,” said Bernard Fianku, Touch A Life Ghana Country Director.
An estimated 35.8 million people are enslaved worldwide and over 21,000 children are currently being exploited as child labor in the Lake Volta region of Ghana. Impoverished parents sell their children to fishing masters who lead parents to believe that their children will be gaining experience as apprentices. In reality these children are forced to work long hours under brutal conditions with no access to education.
The Touch A Life team in Ghana is committed to the holistic care of each child survivor. Fianku will craft individualized care plans, and for the first year after rescue the children will receive private tutoring in a small group setting to determine their educational and rehabilitative needs. The children at Touch A Life have access to a Creative Art Center on the Kumasi campus, which provides guided artistic expression as a part of the healing process.
Touch A Life develops creative ways to bring healing and empowerment to those who are suffering, exploited and at-risk around the world. We serve children in Ghana, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Touch A Life operates the only long-term rehabilitative care center for trafficked children in all of Ghana.
Mary Martin, Touch A Life, http://www.touchalifekids.org/, +1 (469) 955-4446, [email protected]
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