Challenging Heights Rescues 25 Trafficked Children from Lake Volta on National Children’s Day

Child‑rights organisation Challenging Heights has rescued twenty‑five trafficked children from forced labour on Lake Volta in a major operation conducted over the weekend, coinciding with National Children’s Day.

The children, aged between six and fourteen, were retrieved from multiple communities across the Bono East and Northern Regions. According to the organisation, the group includes eighteen boys and seven girls — a pattern consistent with the fishing‑related child labour and trafficking that continues to plague the Lake Volta area.

Challenging Heights says all rescued children have been transferred to its Recovery Centre, where they are receiving medical treatment, psychosocial support, and comprehensive rehabilitation.

The operation was carried out in collaboration with the Anti‑Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service and the Department of Social Welfare.

This year’s National Children’s Day theme — “Amplifying Children’s Voices on Abuse in Ghana: Promoting Child Protection, Participation, and Advocacy” — underscores the widespread but often silent suffering of children across the country.

Current national data shows that 3.4 million children in Ghana experience physical or emotional abuse, while nearly one in five children aged 5–17 is engaged in child labour.

Globally, the situation is equally alarming. The Global Slavery Index estimates that 50 million people are trapped in modern slavery, with one in four victims being a child. The International Labour Organization (ILO) reports that forced labour generates $235 billion in illegal profits annually.

On Lake Volta alone, an estimated 20,000 children are trafficked or forced into hazardous labour within the fishing industry. Research indicates that almost 90% of these children suffer physical, emotional, or verbal abuse.

Marking the day with renewed urgency, Challenging Heights issued a national appeal:

• To the Government of Ghana: Increase funding and logistical support for child protection and anti‑trafficking institutions to ensure swift investigations, rescues, survivor care, and prosecutions.
• To law enforcement and the justice system: Enforce existing laws to hold traffickers and abusers accountable.
• To parents and caregivers: Listen to children, take their concerns seriously, and reject practices that expose them to exploitation.
• To the public: Report suspected cases of child abuse or trafficking. Silence, the organisation warns, enables exploitation.

For over twenty years, Challenging Heights has led national efforts to combat child trafficking and exploitation, rescuing nearly 3,000 children and young people and supporting their recovery, education, and reintegration. In the first half of 2026 alone, the organisation and its partners assisted in rescuing 144 victims of trafficking and modern slavery.

Executive Director Dr. James Kofi Annan reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment, noting that protecting children requires collective responsibility and sustained national action.