The five-day training programme, being held in Techiman, has brought together 24 Social Welfare officers drawn from the 11 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the region.

The participants are being equipped with the knowledge and skills to collaborate effectively with key stakeholders to identify, protect, and support victims, while strengthening interventions to prevent child trafficking and exploitation.

Speaking at the opening session, the Project Manager of the IJM Tamale Office, Madam Shirley Issifu Dungu, described child labour, trafficking, and exploitation as serious crimes that undermine the holistic growth and development of children.

She said available statistics indicated that child labour and exploitation remained prevalent in the agricultural sector, with about 63 per cent of children engaged in exploitative work in farming communities.

Madam Dungu disclosed that an IJM study conducted in 2022 found that approximately 38 per cent of children living in communities around the Volta Lake were likely to have been trafficked.

She described the situation as alarming and called for intensified efforts by all stakeholders to protect children from exploitation and abuse.

Madam Dungu reminded participants that child trafficking, child labour, and exploitation are criminal offences punishable under the Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694), and urged Social Welfare officers to remain vigilant in enforcing child protection laws.

The Bono East Regional Director of the Department of Social Welfare, Mr. Frank Adjei, said many victims of child labour and trafficking were transported from the Northern and Volta regions to southern Ghana, where they were exploited on the Volta Lake and in farming communities.

He revealed that the Department had recently rescued a Nigerian child in Techiman who had been trafficked into Ghana.

Mr. Adjei called for stronger collaboration among Social Welfare officers, security agencies, traditional authorities, and community members to effectively combat child trafficking and exploitation.

He also expressed concern over the lack of shelter facilities for rescued children in the Bono East Region and appealed for increased government support and funding to enable the Department to provide adequate care and protection for victims while effectively carrying out its mandate.