As published for The Roosevelt Room:

Rescues

Accompanying George Archibra Jr. on a rescue of a trafficked child sounds dramatic. And while it’s fascinating to go out on a boat and confront fisherman who are using trafficked children, an actual rescue is really a slow-motion event, usually spanning over days, even weeks that only begins when a child is located on a boat.

Going out on Lake Volta in the Africa’s Children (Touch a Life’s 25 ft., canopied passenger boat) and identifying trafficked boys is only the first step in a negotiation that will involve the fisherman (the “master”), his wife, and the local chief.

George Jr. and his father have been at this for a number of years and their skills as negotiators are impressive. George Sr. would be out with us if not for a recent leg operation, but he is the unmistakable patron saint of the trafficked boys of Kete-Krachi. When you sit in the shade of George Sr.’s mango tree and discuss this complex issue, you listen, because no one knows more. But you also laugh — both father and son have infectious laughs.

On the boat with George Jr., is 32 year old Jason Hackman, owner of a wealth management firm in St. Louis, and a very passionate and involved supporter of the TAL foundation. This is Jason’s second visit to Kete-Krachi having participated in rescues last summer. Also with us is the aptly named Laura Good who runs all of TAL’s field operations in Ghana.

Spotting and identifying the boys on the boats is the easy part — on this very calm lake it’s easy to spot the silhouette of a skinny, dark-skinned boy perched on the bow of a traditional fishing boat. The boys are usually nearly naked and dressed in dirty rags, but that’s common in these poor villages.

Not all boys spotted are trafficked. It’s common for boys to go out and work with their fathers on the lake, even if school is compulsory. From the family’s point of view, education is secondary to securing the means for their sustenance.

George Jr.’s questioning is impressive to watch. Usually the first question is “Why isn’t this boy in school?” He speaks in one of the local Ghanaian tongues here — usually Twi or Ewe. He then moves on to a series of questions about how the boys live and their ages — questions a father could answer about his son.

Many fishermen we’ve talked to the past few days are willing to freely admit that the boys have been purchased. They’ll make a case that the boys are simply needed, one saying plainly, “This boy is my machine.”

The children aren’t taken directly from the boat. The next step is to meet at the family’s compound and begin a discussion. George begins by making the straightforward case that the boys should not be purchased, it’s wrong, and they should be allowed to go with him and be in school.

The fishermen seem to understand that it’s wrong when confronted, but it’s an economic decision for them: they’ve likely paid a trafficker 100-200 cedis (about $70-140) for a boy.

But George Jr. is persuasive and if not so persuasive, at least persistent — he’ll come back and talk again after the fisherman says he must discuss it with his wife and likely the chief as well. George Jr. will also come back to speak with the chief. After speaking to the chief, if the masters still don’t agree to release the boys, George can resort to threatening to go to the police.

For many reasons it’s a reluctant option to resort to law enforcement here, not least because the police lack the means to enforce trafficking laws on Lake Volta, and George needs to continue to be welcome in the villages. But educating masters about the existing laws in Ghana and the threat of possible prosecution frequently works.

One thing TAL won’t do is pay for release of these kids. That would be just as odious as the brokers buying them at the beginning of this chain, and would merely perpetuate a market for children.
The aim is to get fisherman on board with a social contract. But they’re also made to understand that if they commit to not use trafficked children, they would be eligible for alternative programs — like proposed cage fishing programs.

Even after agreement, an additional day is usually requested before George can come back to collect the boy. Nothing moves quickly here.

The only thing better than returning to collect a child who is being set free is to see their reactions after even one day at one of TAL’s homes.

Jacob, sitting next to me now, is a boy who I would put at seven years old we collected this afternoon. He will have to wait an extra day to join his future bunk- and class-mates: we’ve filled every available bed at Village of Life here and Kete-Krachi, and so Jacob will ride back with us to TAL’s home in Tema, outside of Accra.

Visit www.touchalifekids.org to learn more about child trafficking on Lake Volta.