The Representative of UNICEF in Ghana, Dr. Iyabode Olusanmi, has congratulated the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, the anti- human trafficking unit, and the Department of Social Welfare for releasing 116 trafficked children from forced labor on the Volta Lake and for swiftly prosecuting the perpetrators of these crimes. She said ”I am thrilled that these children will now be able to return to the love and care of their families. However, we must remember that it is often poverty that drives children into the arms of traffickers. All of us must do everything within our power to eliminate the grinding poverty that is an accomplice to child trafficking.” According to her, removing children from their families, forcing them to work in exploitative conditions, and depriving them of the opportunity to go to school are terrible crimes to commit against a child. She said the arrest and prosecution of these criminals indicates the importance that Ghana attaches to its international commitments and domestic legislation regarding the rights of children. UNICEF supported the Government of Ghana in this inter-agency sting operation and will continue to provide technical and financial assistance to rehabilitate and re-integrate the children, and to reduce child labor and child trafficking in Ghana. Source: UNICEF