"BBC Report Inaccurate": Embattled NGO Responds To Claims That It Caused Wrongful Child Trafficking Arrests

• International Justice Mission has said the BBC report on its operations in Ghana contained inaccuracies
• The NGO said the Ghana Police was responsible for effecting arrests and prosecutions related to child trafficking
• International Justice Mission said it vetted all reports of child trafficking before referring the cases to the police for action
• IJM was responding to an investigation by BBC Africa Eye

The embattled Ghana office of the NGO International Justice Mission (IJM) has said there were inaccuracies in the BBC report on questionable child rescues it had been involved in on the Volta Lake.

In a statement, IJM said it was concerned by the findings of the BBC report and suggested that it could not be held responsible for the alleged questionable arrests on the Volta Lake.

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IJM explained that it refers cases to the police after rigorous vetting.

“In the ‘Hilltop’ case referred to by the BBC, IJM was fully transparent with police, providing them with the facts of the case, including that there was one likely case of child trafficking and three that were not clear.

“The police conducted their own investigations determining there was sufficient evidence before proceeding with the operation and – following information gathered on the operation – police filed trafficking charges against the suspects,” IJM said in a statement to YEN.com.gh.

IJM, which is one of many foreign NGOs operating in Ghana, also disputed aspects of the BBC report that a woman jailed for child trafficking was not aware of her children’s whereabouts.

The BBC report said that a mother had been wrongly sentenced to five years in prison who had two children that were removed from the family and taken away.

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The mother was said to have not been reunited with her children despite being released.

In response, IJM said it had ensured contact with the children at the time of the mother's arrest.

“IJM, in partnership with government social workers, facilitated and supervised phone communication between Ms. Mawusi and her children while she served her term, to assure her of the children’s safety and whereabouts,” IJM clarified.

IJM also said it provided economic support for the family to start a business and ensure a safe return for the children.

IJM accused of misleading Ghanaians

YEN.com.gh reported that the Afram Plains North MP, Betty Mensah, accused some international NGOs of misleading and brainwashing Ghanaians on issues such as child trafficking.

The MP criticised such purported rescues of trafficked children in the past and lauded the BBC investigation for its work.

Mensah also said she has spent over GH¢60,000 to help with the legal defense for some of her constituents in the Aframs Plains facing wrongful prosecution for child trafficking.

Source: YEN.com.gh