V/R : Police Rescue 14 Trafficked Childrens
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Fourteen (14) children comprising 11 boys and 3 girls aged between 10 and 16 have been rescued from trafficking by police officers stationed at Volta Regional MTTD/Ho.
The victims were trafficked from Tatale in the Northern region and bounded for a vegetable farm at Ajdena, near Akosombo in the Eastern region to work as farm hands but were rescued while in transit at Juapong in the Volta Region.
Their traffickers, Owusu Deveh, aged 42 and Ndonda Nakoja, aged 74, both believed to have been aided by others who are being pursued by police are standing trial at the Ho Circuit Court.
Investigation shows that parents of the trafficked victims will receive an amount of two thousand Ghana cedis (GhȻ2,000.00) for each child for each year that the child will work on the farm.
The 14 victims were rescued on 7th February, 2020 and have since been kept in a temporary holding as Police collaborate with relevant stakeholders to reintegrate them.
Police hereby cautions parents and the general public to desist from recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, trading or receipt of persons, especially children within and across the national borders for exploitation, forced labour or any service prohibited by law. Any person found to engage in such activity shall be arrested and and prosecuted.
The public is encouraged to call Toll Free numbers 191 and 18555 or mobile phone numbers 0244313823 or 0202180842 to volunteer information leading to the arrest of criminal elements within the Volta region.