Twenty-three child slaves have been rescued from the Volta Lake in the Volta region. The recued children were 17 boys and six girls aged between six and 16 years.
The children who work day and night on the Volta Lake, according to Challenging Height, an NGO that organized the rescue mission, have been sexually assaulted and are suffering from various diseases.
James Kofi Annan, the CEO of Challenging Height, called on the police to assist in the arrest of the culprits at a press conference in Winneba, in the Central Region.
He also urged the government to devise strategies to end the abuse of Ghanaian children on the Volta Lake.
He acknowledged that they experienced a lot of hostility throughout the rescue, but that providing them freedom has provided them happiness.
“All these 23 children we have rescued were working on the Lake Volta; the girls as domestics and sexually abused, while the boys were used for fishing.
“They all endured various abuses such as working an average of 15 hours a day, and sometimes nights, mental and physical torture, and starvation,” he stated.
He further revealed that “Every one of the 23 children is suffering from one disease or the other, including bilharzia, Hepatitis B, Syphilis, skin diseases, ear and foot rots, and so on.”
Source: Myjoyonline
