IJM Partner Profile: Kwaku*
*Pseudonym
Kwaku* knew he wanted to work in law enforcement when he first met a police officer through a program in secondary school. He assured his peers that one day, he too would be a confident, respected officer like their guest. Today, that dream is realized as Kwaku plays a crucial role combatting child slavery through the Ghana Police Service.
Throughout his career, Kwaku has been instrumental in drawing attention to the issue of human trafficking. In an early placement, he found himself working in a farming and fishing community. Many of the cases that came across his desk involved child slavery, as children were recruited to work on the farms and lakes. This brought back memories of his own childhood, when he lived in a similar village. Kwaku’s family was able to afford a safe childhood for the twelve children in the home, but many of their peers were vulnerable to labor exploitation . Memories of young children fishing, sometimes even falling into the water and drowning, strengthened his drive to protect those susceptible to trafficking.
Kwaku specifically advocates against human trafficking as the Public Relations Officer in the Ghana Police Service. He passionately and articulately communicates the issue of child slavery to the general public, helping to build sustainable protection as the Ghanaian government and IJM work together to rescue children.
Kwaku and his team began working alongside IJM when the organization approached Ghana’s eastern regional police command to initiate a partnership with the anti-human trafficking unit. The work comes with many challenges: it can be pyscially dangerous, emotionally strenuous, and the technicalities in the legal process make for a long road to justice. As the Public Relations Officer, Kwaku has to navigate political interference and distrust from communities in order for the work to move forward. In spite of the difficulties, he finds hope in the stories of the children who experience rescue.
Kwaku recalls a particular teenager who had been in slavery for 12 years, taken from his parents when he was only three years old. The memory is emotional for Kwaku, thinking of the boy losing his family as such a young child. He suffered in child slavery for 12 years, but all that changed when Kwaku was involved in the young man’s rescue. The boy was reconciled with his parents and had the opportunity to heal from the trauma he endured. For Kwaku, it is a perfect example of the redemption that is possible for survivors of trafficking. He is motivated by bringing hope to hopeless children and relentlessly pursuing justice on their behalf.
On his first operation partnering with IJM, Kwaku saw 25 traffickied children rescued and brought into shelter homes where they have the opportunity and resources to heal. Kwaku remembers the moment proudly. Weeks of time and resources were poured into the operation and the team still had to adapt to changes on the day of the rescue. But they were successful, and Kwaku reflected, “we've given hope to some hopeless children.” The partnership between IJM and the Ghanaian government continues to effect wholistic change on Ghanian communities. When he thinks about children still in slavery, Kwaku says confidently, “We'll get them rescued… no matter how long it will take. No matter how long it takes, we will rescue them.”