Hundreds of children have been rescued from slavery and thousand more supported with child rights and community sensitization program in the Effutu municipality and its surrounding communities.
Dr. James Kofi Annan, The founder and President of Challenging Heights disclosed these at the 10th anniversary celebration of the organization in Winneba. The theme for the celebration was “To whom much is given, much is expected”.
Challenging Heights, a non-governmental organization, (NGO) was established ten years ago as a club and quickly became a platform for hundreds of children who received various support from the founder Dr. Kofi Annan in order to benefit from educational Cake. In February 2005, the club was officially registered and became a fully-fledged NGO.The NGO currently runs several different projects, operates in forty different communities across Ghana with staff strength of ninety – four (94), working to provide various services and programs in all the forty communities.
Dr. James Kofi Annan, who is a survivor of child trafficking, called for support to stop the child Trafficking situation in Ghana. Challenging Heights is a Child-Centered organization aimed at providing children support for the education of Children in underserved coastal and farming Communities along the coastal regions in Ghana. The Organization also provides support for families whose children are at risk of losing parental care due to porverty, and also work actively to prevent children from being exploited in labour situation.
In 2007,We established Challenging Heights School.Today,Challenging Heights school boasts of over 700 students between the ages of 4 and 17 from nurseries one to JHS three. The organization, currently Pays nearly 70 per cent of the cost o educating children in challenging Heights school, while the parents of our children pay the remaining 30 per cent. We have great aspirations to increase the number of students for whom we can pay 100 per cent of costs through our expanding overseas donor’s program-Dr.James Kofi Annan had said.
Chief Superintendent Patience Quaye, the Head of Anti – Human Trafficking unit of the Ghana Police service, speaking on the topic “Ending Child Trafficking in Ghana, the role of the Ghana Police Service”. Said there are two hundred and forty-Six million Child labourers in the world today, most are in developing African Countries like Ghana and Nigeria. Some of them are as young as five. One Hundred and eighty-Six million of them are under fifteen years and One hundred and seventy of them are doing hazardous work and operating dangerous tools or machineries.
“Ghana is a source, a transit, and a destination country for children for the purposes of forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation. Both boys and girls are trafficked within Ghana for forced labour in agriculture, fishing industry, street hawking. Over 30,000 children are believed to be working as porters. (Kayaye) in Accra alone”. She said.
Chief Supt.Quaye said, annually, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports numerous deaths of boys trafficked for hazardous forced labour in the Lake Volta fishing industry, girls are also trafficked within the country for domestic servitude and sexual exploitation.
She said child trafficking should not be allowed to destroy the children greatest “Natural resource” which is the mind of the children and warned that the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Ghana Police Service was formed purposely to Arrest, Prosecute offenders, Protect and helps bring Freedom, Hope and Justice to trafficked victims both locally and internationally and called for Public support
Hon. Alex Afenyo Markins, the Member of Parliament for Effutu constituency, speaking on the topic “the Role of MPs in fighting child labour in Ghana” pledged his support as a member of parliament to stop the child trafficking situation not only in his constituency but the nation at large through support of the passing of bills in parliament which seeks to arrest child trafficking situation.
Hon. Markins also charged parents to discontinue from such act and take the education of their children seriously, since the development of every nation depends on the good foundation of children who are the future leaders.
The audience was entertained by a variety of performances from children and young people being support by the organization. These included survivors of child trafficking rescued from hazardous and child labour on Lake Volta as well as a choir, cultural performers and cadets from the challenging heights school and comedy from beneficiaries of youth empowerment program.
The Omanhene of Effutu traditional area Naanyi Ghartey VI,Honorable Alex Afenyo-Markis(MP for Effutu) Reverend Professor Afful Broni(Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of Education,Winneba) Head of Anti-Human Trafficking Unit-Ghana Police Service Chief Supt.Patience Quaye, Madam Victoria Natsu( Head of Child Trafficking secretariat Ministry of Gender and Social Protection) were among special quest who graced the Occasion.