The operation was carried out by the Department of Social Development which is under the MGCSP in collaboration with representatives of the International Organization of Migration (IMO), the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Police Service, the South Africa Embassy and the Human Trafficking Secretariat on Dec. 15, 2015.
While in South Africa, the children were made to play a few matches while the trafficker returned to Ghana under the pretext of recruiting more children but was never seen again.
She said the trafficker was able to convince the parents/guardians and a local chief in western Ghana at a durbar where he was given a parcel of land to set up a football academy.
The South African authorities rescued the trafficked children to a shelter in Pretoria after the expiration of their visas.
“The children have been kept in a shelter home and taken through various rehabilitation processes since their arrival in the country,” Natsu said.
The ministry is expected to do follow-up visits to the communities affected to meet with the chiefs, opinion leaders and parents to sensitize and empower them to be able to identify potential traffickers.
Source: Xinhua
