Child Protection Group Warns of Network Recruiting Ghanaian Girls into Sex Trade via Social Media
Challenging Heights, a Ghanaian child protection organisation, has warned of an active network recruiting Ghanaian children into the commercial sex trade through social media platforms, particularly TikTok.
The organisation says the trend is increasingly affecting girls in mining communities, with some victims below the age of 16 being recruited and sexually exploited.
The warning follows a recent operation conducted by Challenging Heights in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service, which led to the rescue of 47 victims of sexual exploitation from six communities around Goaso in the Ahafo Region.
Of the 47 victims rescued, 26 were handed over to Challenging Heights for rehabilitation and recovery, including 16 who were identified as being under the age of 18.
While many of the victims were foreign nationals, particularly from Nigeria, the organisation says Ghanaian girls are increasingly being targeted for recruitment into the sex trade.
Founder of Challenging Heights, James Kofi Annan, told Citi News that the development points to an emerging pattern of child exploitation in mining communities.
“We are now seeing an active recruitment of Ghanaians, Ghanaian girls, into the sex trade in the mining communities.
“We are also seeing a worrying trend of babies being affected by this sexual exploitation and forced prostitution in the mining communities,” he added.
Mr Annan called on the Ghana Police Service to intensify operations against human trafficking and sexual exploitation, particularly in identified hotspots.
He also urged the Ghana Immigration Service to strengthen surveillance and border controls to help prevent traffickers from moving victims across Ghana’s borders.
