Children participate in a community sensitization march through Senya Bereku, Ghana, as part of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July 2017. Local school children, aware that child trafficking is prevalent in their community, carry signs with messages such as “LET ME ENJOY MY CHILDHOOD”, “COULD YOU SELL YOUR CHILD?” and “IT COULD BE ME OR YOU”. Thousands of people from the community joined in the rally to raise awareness of human trafficking and slavery in Ghana. Though precise estimates vary, thousands of children, some as young as 4, are reported to be working in the fishing industry on Ghana’s Lake Volta, many in hazardous, life-threatening conditions. According to NGO reports, more than half of these child labourers are human trafficking victims who are being forced to work. Despite this knowledge, in 2016 Ghana reported only seven human trafficking-related convictions, some with mere fines, such as the trafficker fined 720 cedis ($170 USD), less than an average weekly salary, for forcing a 15 year-old boy to work without pay on a fishing boat in Lake Volta.
Camilla Kidd is a 25 year-old from the UK, a History Graduate and a lover of photography and travel. She loves taking photographs of people living life passionately, with a strong focus on education and human rights.