Ghana: Free the Slaves for $92 Each

In the fishing industry in Ghana the boy slavery problem is systemic and has been going on for decades.

These boys are slaves. Photo: ngonewsafrica.org

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - In order to free a child slave who is a part of the fishing industry in Ghana one only has to pay $92 USD.

Child slave - Photo: Compassionate Journeys

The $92 covers the rescue, the use of speed boats and rehabilitation services which include school supplies and money to assist the family so they will not have to sell their children again.

Once the fishermen are contacted by groups like Free The Slaves they urge them to never do it again. But, the process of children going into the fishing industry is not an easy decision by anyone.

Many boys are kidnapped by local fishermen, some are sold by their parents at usually $20 USD in order to survive and feed or provide health care for their families and some are coerced by the fishermen with promises of a job. That is what happened to a young boy named Kwame.

He was convinced by a fisherman that he was going to hire him in his selling business and Kwame’s parents approved because the income would provide much needed income to the family. Once he left his village he was quickly trafficked to Yeji which is the fishing region around Ghana’s Lake Volta.

He worked with the fishing industry for 8 years; working from 4:00 a.m. pulling nets in order to get the fish to the shore by 8:00 a.m. Then he had to deliver the fish to town, return and spend the rest of the day mending nets for the afternoon fishing session. He was provided two meals a day with the first being in the afternoon and one just before bed.

He reported to Free The Slaves that he was treated badly and reported being beaten on numerous occasions. He also reported having to swim long distances after being pushed out of the boats by the main fishermen as punishment. Some of the boys could not keep up the long distance swim and would drown.

Slavery is seen the world over a violation of basic human rights and yet it continues to exist. According to the non-profit organization, Free The Slaves, slavery is illegal in every country, although, it exists in almost every country of the world. The vast majority of the world’s slaves are in South Asia and Africa has large numbers of slaves in some areas of the continent.

One in four children in Ghana works as a slave and estimates of child slaves are in the high hundreds to low thousands according to Free The Slaves. Ghana’s government is working to end this cycle of slavery by offering free education incentives to parents so they will not have to sell their children.

Often children are sold as absolute last resort by parents when they cannot meet their most basic needs like food and health care for a sick family member. One mother had to sell her son for money to pay for medical services in order to save her husband.

Kwame was rescued by Free The Slaved after 8 years of slavery and abuse. After his rescue he reported looking forward to school and stated “I want to go to school so that I can grow to become somebody.”

In the fishing industry in Ghana the boy slavery problem is systemic and has been going on for decades. Many of the fishermen were once boy slaves themselves and suffered the abuses they now inflict upon the boys they hold in slavery.

Therefore vilifying these men can be difficult when they were raised as the oppressed and have now become the oppressors. They were victims themselves and now provide for their families and the community for through this slave ridden trade. These reasons do not justify their actions but may provide a context for which this horrible condition exists.

Free The Slaves works tirelessly throughout the world, and especially in Ghana, to free as many slaves as they can. Their organization is growing everyday and with your support more slaves can be rescued. The International Organization for Migration also helps in Ghana to free the boys in the fishing industry from slavery. Go to  www.freetheslaves.net in order to learn how you can help.  You can donate or educate yourself on areas around you struggling with slavery.  Sharing stories of slavery in your community will raise awareness of the issue.

Jennifer Fierberg is a social worker in the US working on peace and justice issues in Africa with an emphasis on the crisis in Rwanda and throughout the central region of Africa. Her articles have been published on many humanitarian sites that are also focused on changing the world through social, political and personal action.

Jennifer has extensive background working with victims of trauma and domestic violence, justice matters as well as individual and family therapy. Passionate and focused on bringing the many humanitarian issues that plague the African Continent to the awareness of the developed world in order to incite change. She is a correspondent, Assistant Editor, and Volunteer Coordinator for NGO News Africa through the volunteer project of the UN. Jennifer is also the media co-coordinator and senior funding executive for The Africa Global Village (www.africaglobalvillage.com) Jennifer comes to www.Salem-News.com with a great deal of experience and passion for working to stop human right violation in Africa.