The Madina Divisional Police Command has announced plans to intensify enforcement of laws against child labour and human trafficking at the Madina Market.
The Command said it will arrest traders and other individuals who employ or engage children, particularly those of school-going age, in activities such as head-portering, popularly known as “kayayei”.
Speaking to Citi News, Madina Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Dr Sarah Aba-Afari, warned that persons who recruit or engage children in their businesses would face arrest.
She said the Police would intensify enforcement to protect children from exploitation and ensure that school-going children are not engaged in activities that deprive them of their education.
“Human trafficking is an offence in Ghana. It is modern-day slavery where rights and liberties are taken away from the victim. All those who have been engaging people from the north and other vulnerable communities, these people are children. The law is against you. Children must be in school.
“The market folks should take a cue from this. We have been enforcing the law but this time we are going to enforce it rigidly. The Ghanaian child must be protected,” she stressed.
Dr Aba-Afari urged traders and other market operators to desist from employing children and warned that anyone found recruiting or engaging children for labour would be dealt with according to law.
The Police Command said the intensified enforcement forms part of efforts to protect children from exploitation and combat human trafficking within the Madina Market and surrounding areas.
