An estimated 50,000 children are trafficked and enslaved on the Volta lake in Ghana each year.
In the Ada district an average of 60% of households engage in trafficking at least one of their children. Children are being trafficked through a contractual agreement between the child’s guardians and the traffickers. Traffickers often lie to parents to the point that they believe trafficking will be better for the child. Children between the ages of 4 and 15 are being enslaved in the fishing industry around the Volta lake for periods between 3 to 15 years. Abuse while enslaved is widespread and includes physical, psychological, emotional, and sexual abuse. The impacts are mental and physical disabilities, PTSD, and death by drowning in the Volta lake or through untreated illnesses.