Traffickers cautioned of severe punishments

Recalcitrant child traffickers in coastal communities in the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District of the Central Region, have been cautioned of dire consequences when trapped by the law.

Solomon Kwashie Abam-Quaye, District Chief Executive for the area who gave the warning at Senya Beraku said such people would not be given the option of a fine when they appear before the law court on child trafficking offences.

He said that reports reaching his office indicated that certain recalcitrant wicked people in coastal towns and villages in the district were still bent on influencing parents faced with abject poverty with a few hundreds of thousands of Cedis to give the children out for strenuous labour work alongside the Volta Lake.

Mr. Abbam-Quaye was addressing a ceremony organized by officials of the Awutu-Effutu-Senya district secretariat of the Centre for Rural Enterprise Development (CRED) to distribute free school uniforms, shoes and bags to over 40 children in Senya township who were rescued from indirect slavery conditions at Yeji and surrounding fishing communities by the Government.

He recalled the bad name the illicit child trafficking business had carved for the district in recent years, and said effective measures had been put in place to deal with criminals who, in spite of the tireless efforts by the government to redeem victims of child traffickers, were determined to undermine such moves.

Mr. Abbam-Quaye expressed appreciation to directors of the Centre for Rural Enterprise Development for the immense contributions they were making to sustain the interest of the rescued children in education in order to build them to become useful to the society in future.

He charged parents and guardians of the beneficiary children to seriously supplement the efforts of CRED by taking advantage of the free uniforms to encourage their kids to attend school regularly.

Mr. Abbam-Quaye cited himself as an example, saying that even though he was born in a small community in the Awutu Traditional Area, because his parents attached great importance to his education he has been blessed with the appointment as a District Chief Executive.

He stressed the need for parents not to allow poverty to undermine the future of their children because it is possible that some of these children might grow to become ministers of state, doctors, educators, engineers scientists and powerful administrators and judges to handle the affairs of the country in future.

Mr. Abam-Quaye assured CRED officials in the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District of his administration's continued support and co-operation to enhance their work.

A. S. Nkrumah, Project Officer of CRED in-charge of the district, had earlier outlined the aims and objectives of the organization and strongly advised parents of children who benefited from the gifts to make sure that their wards remained in school.

That is the best reciprocal gesture directors of CRED expects from the parents of the beneficiary children, adding that this way, they would be offering CRED the much needed inspirations to extend more benefits to children in other deprived communities in the country.

According to Mr. Nkrumah since the project started more than 70 children had been given school uniforms, shoes, bags, while others were being trained to acquire knowledge in various vocations to make them self-reliant in future.

Source: GNA