Child Slavery on Lake Volta
Lake Volta, located in Ghana, is one the largest man-made lakes in the world. There are approximately 7000 children enslaved on Lake Volta, Ghana, today. Traffickers prey on poor families living in the fishing communities along Lake Volta, telling them that if they let their children come to the lake, they will live with relatives who will care for them, feed them, provide them with medical care and send them to school in exchange for a few hours work after school. The Ghanaian children are sold by their parents for as little as $20, some are younger than 5 years old, into a life of forced labour, malnutrition, abuse and no education. Most of the families never hear from their children again once they are sold to traffickers.
The children are fed very little food, with no nutrition, and very little water. They work on the Lake, fishing, everyday, for very long hours. A typical day might begin at 3 am and end at 8 pm and include challenging tasks such as casting nets, diving, and hauling, with only one meal served. The constant exposure to saltwater results in skin infections and parasites in the body. They children do not receive regular sleep making their young bodies even more susceptible to bacteria, parasites and disease. If the nets are tangled they have to jump into the water and untangle the nets. Many cannot swim causing them to drown. They can also get entangled in the nets causing them to drown. In the lake there are electric fish with can kill them instantly if they come into contact with them when they are in the water. If there boats flip over and they cannot swim they drown, if someone does not come and rescue them. If any of the children do something wrong or make a mistake they are punished physically. If a child is caught escaping, the consequences can be brutal. Life on the Lake is very tough for the children.
The male children work on Lake Volta fishing, whilst the female children work on Lake Volta looking after their masters children and raising them. Girls a young as 8 can be seen raising 3 or more young children. She has to bathe, feed and clothe the children, has to get the children to school, however the girls themselves cannot go to school. The girls have to look after their masters house; fetch water, sweep, fetch firewood and do the washing.
Lake Volta, located in Ghana, is one the largest man-made lakes in the world. There are approximately 7000 children enslaved on Lake Volta, Ghana, today. Traffickers prey on poor families living in the fishing communities along Lake Volta, telling them that if they let their children come to the lake, they will live with relatives who will care for them, feed them, provide them with medical care and send them to school in exchange for a few hours work after school. The Ghanaian children are sold by their parents for as little as $20, some are younger than 5 years old, into a life of forced labour, malnutrition, abuse and no education. Most of the families never hear from their children again once they are sold to traffickers.
The children are fed very little food, with no nutrition, and very little water. They work on the Lake, fishing, everyday, for very long hours. A typical day might begin at 3 am and end at 8 pm and include challenging tasks such as casting nets, diving, and hauling, with only one meal served. The constant exposure to saltwater results in skin infections and parasites in the body. They children do not receive regular sleep making their young bodies even more susceptible to bacteria, parasites and disease. If the nets are tangled they have to jump into the water and untangle the nets. Many cannot swim causing them to drown. They can also get entangled in the nets causing them to drown. In the lake there are electric fish with can kill them instantly if they come into contact with them when they are in the water. If there boats flip over and they cannot swim they drown, if someone does not come and rescue them. If any of the children do something wrong or make a mistake they are punished physically. If a child is caught escaping, the consequences can be brutal. Life on the Lake is very tough for the children.
The male children work on Lake Volta fishing, whilst the female children work on Lake Volta looking after their masters children and raising them. Girls a young as 8 can be seen raising 3 or more young children. She has to bathe, feed and clothe the children, has to get the children to school, however the girls themselves cannot go to school. The girls have to look after their masters house; fetch water, sweep, fetch firewood and do the washing.