A non-governmental organisation (NGO) is harnessing the power of religion to combat the deeply entrenched issues of child trafficking and child labour in the Volta, Oti, Savannah, and Bono East regions.
Globeserve Ministries International in collaboration with its international partners has recently undertaken a remarkable rescue mission, successfully liberating five child trafficking victims from Yeji in the Pru East District of the Bono East region.
The innocent children had been subjected to gruelling exploitation as they were forced into months of labour in fishing on the vast expanse of Volta Lake.
According to JoyNews’ Ohemeng Tawiah, security forces and local allies have often resorted to forceful methods to rescue victims of trafficking who find themselves isolated from their families, leading to their confinement in shelters with uncertain futures.
However, Globeserve Ministries International has chosen a remarkable and unconventional path, opting to forgo the involvement of law enforcement or security agencies in their rescue operations.
[embedded content]Instead, they have turned to the power of religion as a means to address the rampant issues of child labour and child trafficking.
A stakeholder forum organised by the NGO, dubbed ‘Gospel of Justice,’ saw the participation of numerous boat owners, farmers and respected traditional authorities congregated in the town of Yeji in the Pru East District.
Speaking at the event, the General Overseer of the Globeserve Ministries International, Reverend Samuel Kofi Dunia stated that their purpose was not to apprehend anyone but to engage in meaningful dialogue with the authorities and the local allies.
He went on to emphasise “We as a Globeserve decided not to approach this by coming and pointing fingers at people, but we want to come and work alongside them, bring all the stakeholders together.
“Let’s talk about child labour, let’s talk about child trafficking and how can we eradicate this. How can we stop it.”
Rev Dunia explained that the government alone cannot handle the issues of child labour and child trafficking, expressing his belief that the church is in a better position to make sure that people’s lives are transformed for the better.
He was happy to see his outfit come to the rescue of the five trafficked children after a dialogue with the boat owners.
He noted that the issue of child trafficking has been going on over the years and the approach has always been to arrest people and put them behind bars, emphasising what happens to the children and the wives of the suspect if they remain in jail.
“Eventually they will come out and when they do, they become more hardened and they would want to continue this perpetration.
“It is not only by arresting people but we believe that coming at it holistically, helping them to understand what is going on and when they understand the knowledge backed the power of the gospel, we can have a holistic approach,” Rev Dunia stated.
The traditional authorities commended Globeserve Ministries International for their approach to rescuing trafficked children.
“They didn’t come with just a mission, rather their approach is targeting to eliminate poverty, child labour and child trafficking.”
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