The Enslavement Prevention West Africa (EPAWA), in collaboration with AiBi, Friends of Children Foundation, both NGOs have raised about 7,000 Ghana cedis to establish a fund to support victims of child trafficking.

The fund would also be used to sponsor victims of other forms of abuses through family re-integration throughout the country.

Speaking at the fund raising ceremony in Accra, Miss Tatiana Kotlyarenko, Executive Director of EPAWA, noted that the organisation had over the years been at the forefront in combating child trafficking in the country, with a focus on trafficking for sexual exploitation.

“We follow a three-pronged approach: prevention, prosecution and the protection. With proper prevention strategies in place, particularly focusing on empowering women and children, the current tide of human trafficking which impacts them directly can be reversed in a long-term,” she said.

Miss Kotlyarenk, said EPAWA, in its efforts to create the necessary victim protection infrastructure to ensure that rescued victims received adequate assistance to rebuild their lives, saw the need to partner with Friends of Children Foundation to raise the amount.

Miss Sylvia Andena, Country Director of AiBi, Friends of Children Foundation, indicated that the organisation had been involved in the re-integration and family support of rescued victims who suffered several forms of abuses.

“We work for the family re-integration of children, providing family support and income generating activities. In case it is not possible for the child to go back to the biological family, we look for an alternative solution through foster care and national or inter-country adoption,” she said.

The event brought together individuals, especially from the various embassies in Accra, and would be held again within three months.**