Engage now Africa (ENA) a non-governmental organisation, has held a community stakeholders’ engagement with the people of Pediatorkorpe and surrounding communities on the Ada Island in the Ada East District of the Greater Accra Region.

The forum was held to address issues about modern slavery and how best they can be addressed.

ENA embarked on the community stakeholders’ engagement in collaboration with Freedom Now Africa.

The forum, which was under the theme, "Awareness, Action & Impact," focused attention on human trafficking, child labour and child trafficking which has become the means by which the rights and freedoms of people are being abused worldwide.

In an opening speech, the Director of End Modern Slavery (EWS) from Engage now Africa (ENA) Afasi Komla said, ENA has been preventing and combating human trafficking and engaged in the fight to end poverty in Ethiopia, Namibia, Sierra-Leone, Uganda as well as in Ghana.

Afasi Komla said: “Modern Slavery is an umbrella term that covers forced labour, forced marriage and human trafficking which is a common trend that a person is being exploited and cannot refuse or leave due to threat, coercion, deception, manipulation and/ or abuse of power. Therefore it is the goal of ENA to educate, create awareness and teach anti-human trafficking actions in vulnerable communities like that of the ones on the Ada Island and also to partner with other agencies to rescue and rehabilitate trafficked victims and prosecute the traffickers, improve a lasting socio-economic impact in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Ghana and again to ensure that every child is safe and not vulnerable to any social vices.”

He said abuse of rights in the form of child trafficking to be used for fishing and illegal mining, sexual exploitation and prostitution, child sacrifices, debt bondage are unacceptable behaviours in Ghana and other parts of Africa with the aim of perpetuating poverty, low self-esteem, homelessness and ignorance.

He also indicated that some of the activities which they undertake to sensitise vulnerable people and communities include: Trafficking Free Road Campaign, Community Stakeholder's Forum, Regional Sensitization Outreach, End Modern Slavery Anti-Slavery Youth Campaign, Law Enforcement Training, Coalition and Rescue Operation and they collaborate with agencies such as; Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU), Ghana Private Road and Transport Union (GPRTU), Assembly Members, Chiefs, Regional and District Police Command, Ghana Immigration Service, Department of Social Welfare and the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit in other to achieve their target of ending modern slavery in Africa as a whole.

He said there are laws in Ghana to help fight modern slavery but the implementation has been the problem because people living in the urban areas do not know what is going on in the deprived communities.

He said there was a need for a united front to find a solution to these challenges.

Acting In-charge of Pediatorkorpe Health Clinic, Portia Helens, in her statement to the participants, she encouraged parents to take good care of their families so that their children will not be endangered into child trafficking.

Nene Ofoe Gberbie IV, Head Chief of Pediatorkorpe Island thanked ENA for their continues support to the 7 Island. He urges parents to be watchdogs for their children by protecting them and to ensure that their wards are educated for them to become useful citizens in the country.

The participants were taken through some lessons involving who a child is, what is child trafficking/child labour, preventions among other issues regarding modern slavery by Heitey Yankson a Staff from ENA.