Challenging Heights, a non-government organisation, based in the Central Region, says it rescued a total of 153 children in 2021 who were engaged in child slavery, forced work or domestic servitude in the coastal communities of Ghana.

The children were made up of 106 boys and 47 girls between the ages of six to 17.

The organisation says the children were rescued from 12 out of the sixteen regions of the country, bringing the number of children rescued to 1,700 since the organisation was formed in 2003.

According to President of Challenging Heights, James Kofi Annan, there is the need for the government to partner with organisations such as theirs to help in the fight against this menace.

“I am particularly worried that the global community might not achieve the 2030 targeted goal of 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goal on the elimination of child trafficking and modern-day slavery in all its forms. Back here in Ghana, law enforcement agencies must be seen to be on the side of activists instead of perpetrators of the crime to help win the fight against the menace,” President of Challenging Heights said in a Citi News interview.

James Kofi Annan enumerated some of the challenges he believes have contributed to child trafficking in recent times.

He said they include the disruption in the education system caused by COVID-19 and its associated school closures, long vacation periods and the uncertainties in the school reopening for basic and secondary education.

It also added that the worsening climate change impact is destroying family livelihoods, negatively influencing migration decisions, and making many more people vulnerable to human trafficking and slavery.

The president of the foundation wants the government to, among many things, make reforms as it prepares to draft a new National Plan of Action against Human Trafficking.

“As Challenging Heights, we want the government to make some policy reflection on the newly identified risk such as the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the linkages between slavery and climate change. There is also the need for policy reforms in the National Health Insurance Scheme to address abuse related illnesses. We are also advocating for the effective implementation of the domestic workers regulation 2012 and are urging local and district assemblies to enact by-laws to regulate the activities of child domestic workers as child domestic work has been identified as a breeding ground for trafficking and exploitation of children,” James Kofi Annan added.