The International Justice Mission (IJM), a Washington based non-governmental organisation focused on human rights, law and law enforcement, has urged Ghanaians to help integrate survivors of child trafficking into society.
The organisation said this would serve as a source of hope for other victims, as it is not enough to just rescue them.
Mr. Worlanyo Forster, the Director of Advocacy and Partnership for IJM, who made the call, said such integration could not be made possible without the active participation of the government and society.
He said this when speaking on behalf of the IJM Country Director, Madam Anita Budu, during the launch of the anti-child trafficking project at Anyamam in the Ada West District of the Greater Accra Region to empower survivors of trafficking through skill training.
The project was jointly carried out by the IJM, End Modern Slavery at Engage Now Africa (ENA), and United Way Ghana, with funding from the Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) Alumni Foundation, aimed at supporting about 60 child trafficking survivors in communities located in Volta, Greater Accra, and the Eastern and Central Regions.
He lamented that some organisations had stopped giving support to vulnerable people because those who had the opportunity did not take advantage of it.
He encouraged the survivors to put the opportunity given to them to good use, adding that the government, social workers, and all stakeholders would give their best to support them; however, if they failed to make good use of the opportunity, they might end up being slaves again, but this time to themselves.
“Don’t let the money go to waste; make sure you put in more hard work and commitment and ensure that all that you are doing supports somebody who comes behind you. How you handle the opportunity given to you today is either going to open a door for somebody or close a door to somebody,” he emphasised.
He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the project was aimed at empowering the trafficked survivors to go through an economic self-reliance programme to build them for a better future.
“We want to empower survivors of child trafficking so that they will get skilled and be able to build their lives and give back to society,” he explained.
Mr. Afasi Komla, the Director for End Modern Slavery at Engage Now Africa (ENA), expressed optimism that the beneficiaries will be ambassadors of the campaign against child trafficking.
He explained that the goal of the three organisations was to help prevent child trafficking in Ghana and across Africa.
Madam Faustina Abbey, the Executive Director for United Way Ghana, said her outfit helps people with health and related issues as a way of giving back to society.
She called on the public and stakeholders to come together and eradicate child trafficking in Ghana.