Current Projects
There are currently no ongoing projects in Ghana.
Past Projects
- Mapping Slavery: Not For Sale has identified dozens of trafficked children working in the fishing industry on Lake Volta. We have mapped and documented each cases along with existing cases of children now rescued from the Lake using GPS and GIS systems.
Background: The Issue
Ghanaian NGOs estimate that between 4,000 and 10,000 trafficked children are held in fishing communities at many locations around Lake Volta. Stretching over 3,200 square miles, it is the world’s largest man-made lake. In 1965 when the lake was flooded thousands of people were displaced, hundreds of isolated island communities emerged, with little compensation from the government, a new life in the fishing industry began.
The unfortunate economic situation on Lake Volta has pushed residents to use children for labor. Commonly children are sold by their parents from regions all over Ghana and forced into a life of slavery. Their small nimble fingers are ideal to untangle nets below the water’s surface – a remarkably dangerous task for small children. Generally they work 12 to 14 hours a day without access to healthcare or education. Even those with access to education are plagued with a shortage of teachers and proper materials to provide a valid education. Meanwhile, the lake’s once rich resource of fish is quickly depleting with the fishing industry becoming unprofitable. The people living on Lake Volta exist in a model that supports the enslavement of children guaranteeing future generations living in poverty.
Not For Sale
270 Capistrano Road, Suite #2
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
Phone: (650) 560-9990
