A 13-year-old victim of child slavery, Emelia Abeka, has given a harrowing account of her ordeal after being sold by her parents.

Emelia, who is a native of Ekumpuano in the Ekumfi district of the Central Region, opened up about her ordeal to Channel One TV. According to her, she was made to work as a chop bar attendant and was forced to drop out of school by her madam at Half Assini.

She further disclosed that she was made to lie to her mother, telling her that she was at school, contrary to her reality.

“When they took me to Half Assini they did not enrol me into school so I became a dropout. They rather made me work at a chop bar. Anytime my mother calls me to ask if I’m in school studying, then my madam will tell me to lie to her that I’m in school”, she narrated.

One of her struggles as a slave was smoking fish as late as 12am to 1pm before she retired to bed, she said.

She also recounted how she was starved several times by her master, thus, she only survived by eating from the chop bar where she worked.

Emelia developed skin diseases due to her poor living conditions.

“I went through lots of struggles. I retire to bed around 12 am to 1 am most regularly because I have to smoke the fish but my madam’s biological children are always in bed very early sleeping. She doesn’t feed me in the mornings and evenings when I return from work at the chop bar.

“I developed skin diseases due to my poor living conditions and I don’t want anyone else to endure such an ordeal”.

Unbeknownst to her madam, Emelia was working extra hours at the chop bar to earn and save additional income to help her escape from captivity.

Emelia’s woes deepened when her monthly wages were squandered by her madam. She said she wasn’t given a penny after all her hard work.

Out of frustration, Emelia single-handedly found her way back to her parents’ house.

“I worked at the chop bar for nearly two months. She constantly pressured me with work, which left me feeling frustrated. When I questioned her about the proceeds from the chop bar, since the owner gave her my monthly wages, she became angry. So, I decided to return home on my own”, she told Channel One TV.

Emelia now lives on the benevolence of residents to care for herself and her little brother, as her mother currently works in Yeji.

She continues to pursue her dream of returning to school.

MAG/AE