A Touch A Life child, Millicent, along with Sophie and Freeman spoke at a UN Against Human Trafficking event on World Day Against Trafficking, July 30, 2019. Below is her speech that she read before the Minister of state and many foreign dignitaries.
It is a great honor to serve as the voice for our fellow children in exploitative labour. I am happy to see this day where issues of child rights is the topic for discussion. Let me express our profound gratitude to Government and our leaders for educating our community about the dangers of child trafficking, child labour, child abuse and teenage pregnancy.
Child trafficking is where parents are deceived and they give their children out to slave masters to use them for their own gain. Many children have been given out to traffickers and they have used them in fishing, farming, cattle herding and many others. Child trafficking and labour continues to be a major concern to us the children since it robs us of our childhood.
Ladies and gentlemen, in as much as we want to learn and take over business in the future, we are saying give us education first and we will be more equipped to handle business in the future. It is common in our community to see children leave the classroom to go fishing and working. This has affected us and some of my colleagues have suffered pain, hunger, abuse, beatings and in worse cases, death. Our young girls are sexually abused by our masters and other elderly persons. This has led to CHILDREN GIVING BIRTH TO CHILDREN as early as at age 13{teenage pregnancies} early forced marriages and a doom future.
Hon. Ministers, Hon Member of Parliament, our Hon. DCE,
I was a victim of trafficking, but thanks to my uncles who collectively came to my rescue through Social Welfare. I was sent to a shelter called Touch A Life Foundation at Abrankesie
To Touch A Life Foundation, I say a big thank you and I am proud that I can now read, write, speak English and also attending school regularly.
I am fortunate; but what about the silent majority, who are victims of trafficking, living with you, who are to take care of us, children; suffering with no one to listen to our plight?
Most parents are ignorant about our suffering and even have no time to listen to us.
Our masters pretend to be caring when they meet our relatives.
We work for them to educate their children, while we shiver under the cold dawn weather with no clothing and our reward is abusive behaviors towards us
What wrong have we done to our families and to society as a whole?
Hmmmmmm! All is not lost for we see a ray of hope for our future now!
We, the children are glad that, looking at the high profile of dignitaries present, the issue is about us and not politics
As the theme for this occasion – BUILDING A NETWORK OF HOPE TO END HUMAN TRAFFICKING, Let us support the government and stakeholders to realize these goal
Mother Ghana’s freedom is meaningless if we still have our future generation in slavery!
Let us all say a BIG NO to trafficking especially when children are concern.
Thank you!!!!!!!
We are incredibly proud of our children who shared their story and the mission of Touch A Life.