Work socialisation gone wrong? Exploring the antecedent of child trafficking in two Ghanaian fishing communities

Abstract

ABSTRACT The phenomenon of child trafficking has emerged as a global child protection concern ever since the Palermo Protocol was promulgated by the United Nations in the year 2000. Since then, specific aspects of children’s mobility for work in sectors such as fishing have been conceptualised as trafficking in Ghana. Drawing on a qualitative case study design, the views of 20 fishing community members were elicited in Senya Breku and Yeji. The study found that the trafficking of children from Senya Breku to Yeji for fishing began initially as a form of work socialisation within familial fishing groups before it expanded broadly into its present description as trafficking. Consequently, the study calls for greater recognition of the socio-historical processes that have characterised children’s mobility to other communities for work in order to fully comprehend the phenomenon and propose appropriate policy responses.