10 Boys Rescued from Slavery in Ghana

The 10 children–as young as 5 years old– received immediate medical attention, food and water after the operation and are currently being cared for in a safe location.

Ten boys are now free from a brutal life as slaves on fishing boats in Ghana’s Lake Volta region. On Friday, March 20, International Justice Mission (IJM) embarked on its first joint rescue operation with Ghanaian authorities on Lake Volta.

IJM worked side-by-side with Ghanaian police and social services for two days to secure these rescues in IJM’s new partnership with the Ghanaian government.

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“We can stop child trafficking in Ghana’s fishing industry if we work together to rescue the children and hold the traffickers to account under the law. When the laws are enforced, the violence stops,” said Kaign Christy, field office director for IJM Ghana.

The 10 children–as young as 5 years old– received immediate medical attention, food and water after the operation and are currently being cared for in a safe location. They will eventually be transferred to long-term aftercare shelters or reunited with their families.

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Lake Volta covers 3,283 square miles and is lined by numerous fishing villages. Ghana’s thriving fishing industry is primarily powered by as many as 50,000 children, a significant proportion of which have been sold and trafficked for slave labor.

International Justice Mission is a global organization that protects the poor from violence throughout the developing world.

IJM partners with local authorities to rescue victims of violence, bring criminals to justice, restore survivors, and strengthen justice systems.