Inauguration of Challenging Heights’ Boat on the Volta Lake
Challenging Heights, a leading organization in the fight against exploitation ofchildren, has inaugurated a new mini boat on the Volta Lake of Ghana to offer more protection for women and children. The boat which is based at Yeji side of the Volta Lake can load up to 25 passengers. The total cost of the boat and two outboard motors is $13,900.

According to the organization, they rescued 47 children from various forms of exploitative labor on the Volta Lake in the year 2009, and expects to rescue 78 more children this year 2010.

Mr. Annan said the boat will be made available to rescuers in the event of disasters or emergencies on the lake. He said the boat is fitted with live jackets, two brand new outboard motors, a shade and experience sea fearers.  According to him, it is women and children who are most affected whenever there is disaster on the lake and that is why the organization will seek a collaboration with the government to make the lake safer for women and children.
He further mentioned that the boat will be used by Challenging Heights to monitor the use of children for exploitative labor on the lake.
In its inaugural program, Challenging Heights rescued 6 children trafficked for the purposes of labor exploitation from the villages of Ada and Afienya Ekura.

According to Mr. James Kofi Annan, Challenging Heights will use the boat to do on-the-spot education and sensitization for working fishermen, and identify enslaved children. He said child trafficking and children involved in worst forms of child labor on the lake must cease, and it will take such very important steps to solve the problem once and for all. He said labor exploitation of children on the lake not only deprive them of their education and future livelihood, but also dehumanize them. He said we must protect women and children, whoever they are and wherever they live, from this exploitation.
According to the organization, this boat is available for the use by other organizations and groups who may want to work on the Volta Lake. He called on other civil society organizations and individuals to support government’s effort at fighting against child trafficking and the worst forms of child labor on the Volta Lake.
Before the inauguration, the boat was personally tested by James Kofi Annan, the Executive Director of Challenging Heights.

CASE FROM THE FIELD
Following the divorce of Ama Kardze and Kojo Kakra about 12yrs ago the latter trafficked two of their children. Kow Gyansah and Kojo Donkor who are 15yrs and 17yrs respectively were the children trafficked to Yeji, Kede Kope in the year 2000 – i.e 10yrs ago.

 During the period of the enslavement, these children were forced to mend net, gather net, dive to disentangle net, paddle canoe, pull net, bail water from the canoe among other hazardous activities on the lake. These children were engaged in domestic work such as sweeping, fetching water, washing cooking utensils in addition to all the risky and health threatening activities on the lake. In all these, they were never sent to school. According to them, they were deprived of food for days. Besides, food given to them was of low nutritional value which has made them underdeveloped

These children were severally abused physically, verbally and psychologically. One time, Kow Gyansah nearly drawn after being forced to disentangle a net in the lake.

Before the mother reported the case to Challenging Heights, she made several attempts and actually travelled to the village twice to rescue the children but the father refused. The father claim that, these are his own children and that he can exploit them to any extend.

Ama Kardze reported the case to Challenging Heights Office at Sankor on May 4, 2010 after all her unsuccessful attempts to get the children back to school. All records on the children and the trafficker were documented and the appropriate processes were initiated to rescue these children. However, the trafficker schooled the children to escape making it impossible for the rescue team to rescue these children when they went to that community.

After the children have endured 10yrs of working under such dehumanizing conditions coupled with all the abuses and deprivation of their fundamental human rights, they finally hatched a plan to escape to Winneba in order to have some education. Neither the trafficker’s wife nor anyone in the house knew about their plot to escape. On Saturday June 19, 2010, the children succeeded in escaping to Winneba after making several attempt to do so
The trafficker who was at Winneba then discovered that the children have escaped. Upon locating them in Winneba, he quickly prepared them to be re - trafficked early that dawn to Yeji. Ama Kardze who was then in Apam was contacted immediately. She came and escaped with the children to Apam to prevent the trafficker from re – trafficking them.
Ama Kardze then reported the whole incidence to Challenging Heights Office on June 23, 2010. The children were invited and interviewed for the full story on June 24, 2010. The entire interview with both the mother and the children were recorded and documented.
The father is very furious at the Ama Kardze and the children and still insisting on re – trafficking the children. Though the mother would like the children to remain in Winneba and be enrolled into schools yet the trafficker insisting that the children have to go back and assist him with his fishing work so that he will be able to put up his  building in Winneba. He is now devising several strategies as well as putting in all effort in getting the children back into exploitation.