Anti-trafficking organisation Challenging Heights says it supported the rescue of 144 victims of human trafficking and modern slavery in the first half of 2026 and is calling on Ghana's security agencies to investigate allegations of a suspected cross-border baby-harvesting and baby-selling syndicate.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, July 29, ahead of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, the organisation warned that modern slavery remains a pressing reality in Ghana and across the region.

"Too many of our compatriots remain in denial — believing that slavery ended long ago, or that it happens only somewhere else. It does not," the statement said.

According to Challenging Heights, the rescues were carried out in collaboration with the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service and other partners.

The organisation said 42 of the victims were children rescued from forced labour on Lake Volta, comprising 19 boys and 23 girls. The remaining 102 victims were Nigerian nationals — 60 girls and 42 boys aged between 13 and 29.

It said the victims were subjected to different forms of exploitation, including forced labour in the fishing industry on Lake Volta, cybercrime and commercial sexual exploitation.

According to the organisation, several Nigerian girls were lured to Ghana with promises of jobs in restaurants, supermarkets and grocery shops, only to be forced into commercial sexual exploitation in communities including Obuasi and parts of the Upper East Region.

Allegations of baby-harvesting network

Challenging Heights also disclosed that several survivors had provided what it described as consistent accounts of a suspected organised baby-harvesting and baby-selling operation.

According to the organisation, the survivors alleged that some young Nigerian women were trafficked into Ghana, forced to become pregnant and detained until they gave birth, after which their babies were allegedly sold.

It cited the case of a teenage girl who had been in Ghana for about 11 months and was carrying a two-week-old baby when she was rescued. According to the organisation, the girl claimed the woman who had held her captive had attempted to sell her baby.

However, Challenging Heights stressed that it has not independently verified the allegations and is not presenting them as established fact.

Instead, it said the accounts are "grave, credible and consistent enough to demand an immediate and thorough investigation by the security agencies."

Calls for urgent action

The organisation called on Ghana's security agencies to launch a coordinated investigation into the alleged syndicate, rescue any remaining victims and prosecute anyone found culpable under the Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694).

It also urged the Government of Ghana to provide greater resources for anti-trafficking institutions, renewing its call for a minimum allocation of GH¢20 million to strengthen efforts to prevent, investigate and prosecute trafficking offences.

In addition, Challenging Heights appealed to the Government of Nigeria, civil society organisations and citizens to intensify public education on deceptive overseas job offers and strengthen cross-border cooperation to dismantle trafficking networks.

The organisation also encouraged members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspected cases of human trafficking or child exploitation to the police.

Founder and President of Challenging Heights, James Kofi Annan, said the experiences of the victims underscore the need for urgent action.

"Every one of these children and young people has a name, a family and a future that trafficking tried to steal," he said.

"The accounts we have heard this year — of a teenage girl whose baby a trafficker tried to sell, of young women brought here to be made pregnant so that their children can be traded — should shake the conscience of every Ghanaian and every Nigerian. We cannot look away. We are calling for action, not tomorrow, but now."

Over the past two decades, Challenging Heights says it has supported the rescue of nearly 3,000 children and young people from trafficking and exploitation while providing rehabilitation, reintegration and livelihood support to thousands of survivors across Ghana.