STORY BY: FRANCISCA EMEFA ENCHILL
SOME CALL it Modern Day Slavery because of the anguish and servitude associated with it, but to many, it is simply Human Trafficking, an avenue where non-existing richness is sought after in a foreign land with victims horribly exploited in the end.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime defines Trafficking in Persons “as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of perception, of the abuse of power or of a positive vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.
“The exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.”
In spite of video evidence on social media platforms depicting extreme torture trafficked persons go through in Gulf and other countries, many more people still fall victim to the heinous crime.
Deception
For three teenagers and a 50-year-old mother of nine, and their family from the Northern part of the Volta Region, poverty has taken hold of their homes for far too long and must be defeated at all costs even at the expense of education and their lives.
Therefore, when news came that they would be travelling to Saudi Arabia soon by their benefactor, who is a relative, it was time to express joy and make merry. The dream to end poverty and embrace richness would be realized.
The victims would have to be transported to Accra after being given away by their parents to be prepared to work outside the country.
Some opportunists have been taking undue advantage of the ignorance of some parents in poor communities across Ghana. They talk them into believing that there is a brighter future for their children outside Ghana and deceive them to willingly give their children away to be trafficked out of the country.
One of the teenagers, a form two Junior High School pupil (name withheld) has been ordered by her father to abandon school for a journey to the Gulf State of Saudi Arabia. She is made to join two other females who are related to the agent who happens to be her father’s friend.
Another, Mbolinye Yamba, 50, has left her six children (lost three) in the care of her family for a trip to Saudi Arabia. Her dream to make it in life will finally come true. Soon everything was ready for the victims to say goodbye to their serene villages, Bonakye and Kwamekrom in the Nkwanta District of the Volta Region in Ghana.
Modus operandi of agents
To understand the modus operandi of the agents who serve as front runners in deceiving people, I visited their main ‘joint’ located within the Aflao Station, near the Ghana News Agency in Accra. I met an agent who gave his name as Kofi Moroo.
After expressing interest to travel to Saudi Arabia, he said “there are people who don’t take money; there are others who take money. There are agents who will do everything for you, but when you travel your pay will be small. The agent will discuss with the person who will be hosting you without your knowledge, so when you get there whatever is given to you is what you take. When you get there you must work for two years before you can come back to Ghana. The work is fifty-fifty, the problems are many.”
The implication is that you will be sold to someone who will be in charge of your freedom for two years.
Trip to Accra
Two victims were led by their benefactor on motorbikes from Bonakye to join another at Kwamekrom to board a vehicle for a long trip to Accra.
They arrived in Accra around 4am in mid-June, 2016. Not knowing anywhere in the capital city, they didn’t know how they got to their host at Gaskia, a suburb of Kaneshie Zongo which is also referred to as Abossey Okai Zongo by many in the Greater Accra Region.
Gaskia is a calm and organized Zongo community with very good tarred roads in every street within the community, a feature, which is not common with many Zongo communities across the country. Gaskia is about five minutes drive from Kaneshie and five minutes walk from Kaneshie Zongo junction.
Arrival in Accra
The victims were led to Accra by an agent identified as Ibrahim Yamba. On arrival, they were informed by Ibrahim and their caretaker, Hajia Kubra that the trip was not going to be immediate as they imagined.
They were informed by the two, who are both Muslims that they will have to wait and finish observing the Holy Month of Ramadan before they will be able to work on their documents for them to travel.
They were then introduced to a new teenage girl who from information gathered had been with Hajia, and was groomed for five months before the arrival of the three. They were informed that they were going to share same accommodation with her.
Sleeping in a container
They were taken to their temporal shelter – a container which was located two streets away from the home of Hajia. The container, according to investigations, was previously used as a tailoring shop by the daughter of Hajia who was a seamstress.
The container was painted in red, very small in size, with the space inside it almost the same as that of a Lift.
The container is kept locked at all times, whether the victims are in or out. It is always locked with a padlock outside by 7 am when they set off to the home of Hajia. After 8pm, the container remains locked without a padlock, indicating that it had been locked from inside.
There was constant heat in the container. It had a very small window and more than half the size of the window had been sealed with pieces of wood and the little space left, covered with a piece of cloth.
They slept inside the container with every source of air blocked to prevent mosquitoes and stench from taking over the small space as the container was located close to a gutter which produced mosquitoes and choking stench.
In spite of all these measures, mosquitoes still got their way in, leaving them with no option than to sleep under a treated net.
Sleeping under mosquito net in the container was very traumatizing due to the intense heat. But, this was what the victims had to endure for weeks.
I spent just 10 minutes inside the container with the victims and the experience was indeed inhuman. The temperature was discomforting.
Change of names and ages
The victims were made to understand that some few details about their lives were going to be changed; hence, they had to prepare their minds towards their new identity.
They were also told that they had to convert to Islam before the journey to Saudi Arabia.
Additionally, they were informed that per the requirements, it was not possible for them to travel to Saudi Arabia with Christian names and that their names would have to be changed to Islamic names.
They were again informed by their host that their ages would have to be changed to meet the requirement, hence, the ages of the three teenage girls were increased and that of the elderly woman, decreased.
Legal documentation
Preparation of traveling documents began with the provision of some documents and as the names and ages of the victims had been changed, they required new birth certificates bearing their new personal details to enable them acquire passports. This was done successfully for the victims, according to Hajia (captured on tape).
Following the revelation, I visited the Birth and Death Registry, the institution which issues the first legal document of every individual-the birth certificate, to ask why it was so easy to acquire new birth certificates with forged personal details.
In an interview with Emmanuel Nortey Botchwey, Head of the Information Technology Department of the Registry, he disclosed that because the laws of Ghana allow adult birth registration; they are unable to block adult registrants.
According to him, the law requires adult registrants to report at the registry with baptismal cards or post-natal book (weighing card) but in many instances, registrants report there with claims that they have lost them.
Mr. Botchwey added that the registry is left with no option than to rely on declarations from relatives. He said that explains why people use false witnesses.
“When someone comes before you to tell you that this is my mother or the mother says this is my daughter, you can’t challenge them,” Mr. Botchwey added.
He also stated that when discovered, people who use forged personal details to obtain birth certificate are prosecuted and the certificate considered void.
From information gathered, it was clear that the system limits the Birth and Death Registry from playing any part in the campaign against human trafficking in Ghana.
The passport office on the other hand had little to do about the situation as they are required by law to issue passport to individuals who make their required documents available.
Hence, once the person is successful with the acquisition of a genuine birth certificate with false personal details, the possibility of leaving the country is high.
Profile of Victims
Victim one:
Original name withheld, is 16 years of age, a ‘form 2’ pupil (name of school withheld). She speaks English, Twi and Konkomba. Her name has been changed to Samira and age increased to 22 years.
She was informed by her father that she had to travel to Saudi Arabia. She was informed by her father that a friend of his had informed him that some ‘White People’ were in need of children to work with.
She was not given details about the trip. When it was time for her to leave the village, the friend of her father who had been identified as Ibrahim Yamba visited her family and informed her, in the presence of her parents, that she was to make a trip to Saudi Arabia where his daughter supposedly leaves and works.
According to her, Ibrahim sometime earlier informed her family that his daughter had traveled outside the country and was doing well and promised to inform Samira’s father when there was another opportunity.
Samira was made to abandon her school to embark on the trip to Accra, a city she knew nothing about, to prepare to travel to a country she knew nothing about.
Victim two:
Bunator Naplane, 18 years of age, she speaks only Konkomba, which is her native language. Her Christian name has been changed to Aminatu and she is now age 20.
Victim three:
Original name withheld, 14 years old, Christian name changed to Aisha and her age changed to 20 years. She speaks Konkomba and can’t construct any sentence in English.
She is directly related to the agent, Ibrahim. Through an interpreter, she said the only thing her father told her was that she should learn how city children behave and do their things and emulate when she travels.
According to her, she was informed by Ibrahim that the people his daughter works with are searching for more children.
Victim four:
Mborinye Yamba is 50 years old. She speaks only Konkomba. Her age has been slashed to 33 years and her new name is Salamatu. She is also related to Ibrahim, the agent and she and her parents were told the same story.
She is a mother of nine and has lost three of them. She has left all six children behind to embark on the trip in search of a brighter future for them. As old as she is, she is embarking on the trip because her father told her to. Her father wanted them to get out of poverty.
“When we arrived in Accra, we were asked to mention our names for them to write and we did, after that, I was told that I’m now called Salamatu, and that was what they did to each one of us.” She said through an interpreter.
After the illegal exercise, they said they were asked to rehearse their new personal details to be conversant with them to avoid fumbling when being questioned either at the Passport Office or at the Embassy and they obliged, and gave those details out in conversations with neighbors.
Role to play in Saudi Arabia
The four, were promised well paid sustainable jobs in Saudi Arabia. Since they all didn’t have the educational background to have high expectations, they were all just looking forward to decent jobs which did not require certificates.
They were not told the exact job that each one of them will do on arrival, but they were assured of three types of jobs; to assist the aged to do basic things like visiting the washroom, to work as maidservants or as store keepers in Saudi Arabia.
Salamatu, who only speaks her native language – Konkomba told the paper through an interpreter that she was told that when she gets to Saudi Arabia, she will perform the role of a nanny due to her age.
Daily routine
Among the four, only one (Samira-the school dropout) can speak other languages apart from the native Konkomba language. This becomes a challenge because effective communication with the others required a translator.
Their daily routine is to spend the entire day with Hajia for adequate training for the task ahead in Saudi Arabia. The teenagers said they have been told they would be turned into maidservants in Saudi Arabia and must be trained for the task. Hajia, thus, occasionally scatters her room and asks them to re-organise the items. It was a necessary training to survive the task ahead in the Gulf State.
The victims were fed well. They were given three square meals and sometimes four square meals in a day by Hajia for free. They used public toilet and public shower, which were all paid for by Hajia.
Experience at Gaskia
After spending more than three weeks in their new abode while processing of their papers was underway, residents within the community soon recognized their presence and began to ask questions.
It was gathered that on almost daily basis, the residents, having interrogated their new neighbors kept taunting them that they would be turned into prostitutes if they eventually make it to Saudi Arabia.
Victims can’t escape
Despite the warning in the Zongo community that they were going to be used for prostitution, they continued living under the care of Hajia.
When asked why they had not made the attempt to escape, they said they didn’t know their way around the capital city. Even if they did, the financial capacity to escape was not there.
In separate interviews, the four began expressing worry about the trip in its entirety, but were not eager to abandon their quest to travel either.
The victims at this point wished they could abandon the trip and go back to the village if they got the means to do so or stay in Accra if they got accommodation and job to do.
Strangely, despite the unanimous wishes of the four victims, they all continued to prepare for the trip, reason being that, they could not abandon the trip unless their fathers permitted them to do so.
“Left with me alone, I wish I don’t embark on the trip but stay in Accra if only my father will permit me to do so,” Samira lamented.
Marriage proposal
After gathering enough information about the four victims, it was now time to visit Hajia to confirm if she knew the children and the elderly woman and for what reason she was hosting them.
At this point, the reporter realized that it would be safer and easier to visit her through someone who speaks her native language, Hausa.
The reporter employs the services of a man who speaks Hausa to visit her under the pretense of asking for the hand of one of the victims in marriage.
The visit was successful, as Hajia accepted knowing the victim and admitted being their caretaker. She also admitted that the victims were slated to travel to Saudi Arabia, which makes it impossible for the marriage proposal to be accepted.
She told the gentleman that she was done with the preparation of the traveling documents for the victim to travel with her other sisters so even if she tried informing the parents of the victim about his proposal she could promise him that it won’t be successful.
“As I told you earlier, I have finished preparing their travelling documents so she will be travelling in about two weeks, your marriage proposal will not work,” she said.
Police alert and arrest
At this stage, all was set for the law enforcement agencies to effect the necessary arrest for further investigations.
The Anti-human Trafficking Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service was contacted and they offered rapid response.
With support from the United States Ambassador to Ghana, Ambassador Robert P. Jackson and the Embassy, the team of officers led by Chief Superintendent Quaye, visited Gaskia together with the reporter to arrest Hajia Kubra as suspect and rescue the victims.
At the time of the arrest, which took place around 8pm, the victims were at home with Hajia Kubra.
The police decided to make a calm arrest without applying force, but Hajia was hesitant in following the police out of the compound. It took the officers about an hour to get her to follow them willingly.
In the end, one suspect, Hajia, and five victims, instead of the four initial victims were rescued.
Upon a search in her home, 18 passports, five police clearance forms (declared as fake by the police), one birth certificate, one driver’s license and some yellow cards were retrieved.
Head of Anti-Human trafficking unit of the CID
Chief Superintendent Patience Quaye, Head of the Anti-human trafficking unit of the CID confirmed that, 18 passports, five police clearance forms, one birth certificate, one driver’s license, photographs and some other documents were recovered.
She disclosed that, checks on the Police clearance forms indicated that the signatures on the forms were forged signatures of a former Deputy Director General of CID Ghana, R.V. Dedjoe.
Checks also revealed that if the clearance expires, the seal on the photograph fixed on the Police clearance forms are tempered with, pictures replaced and details retyped.
“Even when you look at the quality of the clearance form, you will see that it is not coming from the CID headquarters, so it means somebody is somewhere doing the police clearance,” she added.
Chief Supt Quaye has, thus, cautioned the public on personal details used to acquire passport as those details would be maintained by law forever.
“The Anti-Human Trafficking unit says that we are ready and we will work hard to bring success and also to put smiles on the faces of these poor victims,” she said.
Ambassador’s interview
In an interview with the United States Ambassador to Ghana, Ambassador Robert P. Jackson, he disclosed that the embassy will support the police by providing shelter for the victims until the trial can be held for the victims to be reintegrated into communities either with their families or others who will give them a loving home.
He disclosed that the victims will be given to the Child Protection Services for them to be placed in an appropriate environment if their families refuse to accept them back.
“The trafficking situation here has not gotten the attention that I think it deserves, we believe that there are still many surveys that almost 100,000 people are victims of trafficking today.
“We hope that by publicising this, people will look around and see what is happening in their communities or talk about families whose children have disappeared, where are they? I think this is the first step in prevention.
“We also need to make sure that there is investigation and prosecution to be certain that as we combat this problem, it is diminished,” he added.
For child protection combat, the United States has invested five million dollars to assist in training, investigation, rehabilitation of shelters and also assist in transport.
“We are giving the prosecutors, the Police and the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection, some of the tools they need to succeed in this effort. We are also through other US government programmes working to reduce the trafficking of women into prostitution in other countries.
“We will be checking regularly with the Attorney General’s office to understand the status of the case, we have asked the Attorney General’s office as part of the child protection combat to track the investigations and prosecution it is conducting so that we have a good statistical view of what is happening, we believe that by publicising the fact that people are being prosecuted and convicted, it will reduce the temptation for other people to commit these crimes,” Ambassador Jackson added.
Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection
Victoria Natsu is the Head of Human Trafficking Secretariat at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
She is knowledgeable about what victims go through when they are taken out of the country due to many rescue exercises undertaken by the Ministry. In an interview she said “the jobs people are promised before their trips are completely different from what they are made to do when they arrive there.”
According to her, the passports of victims are taken away from them on arrival and they are exploited for one, two or three years.
She added that some victims are abused in many ways including sexual in the foreign lands they find themselves in.
Hope from the Ministry
Mrs. Natsu disclosed that the Ministry is developing guidelines to protect children. The guidelines include regulating movement of unaccompanied minors when they are travelling internally or out of the country.
Secondly, the Ministry is enrolling what she calls ‘Sending Communities’-poor communities prone to sending their children out- on the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme to help compile the list of extremely poor households who are tempted to sell their children into slavery.
Parents put on LEAP will be given some money every two months to support the financial needs of their families. In return, they will sign a bond not to send their children out into slavery.
This, according to the Ministry, will discourage parents from forcing their children to be trafficked into Modern Day Slavery.
