Ghanaian human rights organisation, Challenging Heights, has rescued 82 victims of human trafficking and forced labour since the beginning of 2025, including dozens of children exploited in the country’s fishing industry.
The President of the NGO, James Kofi Annan, revealed that the rescue operations, carried out in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service, led to the liberation of 57 children; 31 boys and 26 girls; from the fishing industry. An additional 25 girls, identified as Nigerian nationals, were freed from cross-border forced prostitution and have since been returned to their home country.
“All the victims rescued have received various forms of support. While 57 of the victims received rehabilitation and educational support, all the 25 Nigerian nationals who were rescued have been returned home,” the president disclosed.
Challenging Heights, a survivor-led NGO that operates the largest human trafficking victims’ rehabilitation centre in Ghana, has partnered with law enforcement for over two decades. The organisation praised the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police for its “20 years of relentless collaboration” in combating human trafficking.
Over the past 20 years, the group has rescued thousands of boys and girls trafficked across Ghana’s fishing, mining, and farming sectors.
The organisation also raised alarm over the wider trafficking crisis, citing data from the Global Slavery Index, which estimates that over 91,000 people in Ghana are trapped in modern slavery. Of that number, an estimated 21,000 children are believed to be working in forced labour on Lake Volta alone.
As part of its ongoing advocacy, Challenging Heights has appealed to government leaders to take urgent steps. The organisation is calling on the Minister of Finance to allocate at least GHS20 million to the Human Trafficking Fund in the upcoming 2026 national budget. It also urged the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection to initiate amendments to the Human Trafficking Act, 2005, to better reflect current realities and challenges.
“Human trafficking is an offence punishable by Ghana’s Human Trafficking Act 2005. When convicted, offenders could go to prison for a minimum of five years, and a maximum of 25 years,” the president warned, while appealing to the general public to refrain from any activities that could contribute to trafficking.
Challenging Heights reaffirmed its commitment to ending human trafficking and protecting vulnerable populations across Ghana.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
