Afram Plains North MP Slams Anti-Child Trafficking NGOs For Brainwashing Ghanaians Following BBC Exposé

• The Afram Plains MP Betty Krosbi Mensah has said she is extremely happy following the BBC exposé on false cases of child trafficking
• Mensah accused some international NGOs of misleading communities on issues like child trafficking on the Volta Lake
• The MP stressed that children working on the Volta Lake must not be automatically treated as child trafficking cases

Afram Plains North MP Betty Krosbi Mensah, has reiterated the need for a more nuanced approach to handling the cases of children working on the Volta Lake.

Speaking after a BBC report revealed wrongful cases of child trafficking pursued by a foreign NGO, Mensah said she would continue efforts to protect her community from wrongful child trafficking claims.

The MP described today as one of her “happiest days” because of the vindication she received, and lauded the BBC’s investigative efforts.

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The Afram Plains North MP has been critical of purported rescues of trafficked children for most of her seven years as an MP.

She insisted to YEN.com.GH that “many of those cases were not real cases of trafficking.”

While she admitted that there are child labour concerns, most children working on the lake do so to support their families and make ends meet.

“I call it a trade that has been passed on from generation to generation… fishing is not taught in a basic school or the university. They must find a way to pass the trade to their children.”

The BBC report focused on a US-backed Christian NGO called International Justice Mission (IJM).

The report revealed that a senior IJM worker said the international NGO needed to meet a rescue quota and ensure a set number of prosecutions annually.

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Another staff member said that IJM staff were denied pay rises or were at risk of being sacked if they did not reach these targets.

The Afram Plains North MP remains critical of such international NGOs and accused them of misleading her community and Ghanaians.

“Most of these NGOs have succeeded in brainwashing the locals. They have managed to brainwash the community members. They have managed to brainwash the community members. They have managed to brainwash even the citizens of Ghana.”

Wrongful arrest

The BBC reports revealed that a mother had been wrongly sentenced to five years in prison for slavery and child trafficking.

She had two children that were removed from the family and taken away.

The mother in this case spent two years in jail and has yet to be reunited with her children.

IJM’s response

IJM in a statement to the BBC denied claims that it had a target-driven culture, adding that it did not penalise staff who failed to meet targets.

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The NGO added that it keeps the “welfare of the child at its core” and its operations have led to many children being brought to safety from trafficking.

“IJM Ghana sets targets in order to evaluate impact so that we can provide the most effective support to authorities to stop child trafficking."

Source: YEN.com.gh