Members of the Consecrated Persons Against Human Trafficking (ConPAHT – Talitha Kum Ghana) held an impactful human trafficking awareness campaign today at Asokwa Presbyterian Junior High School. The three‑member outreach team interacted with about 200 learners in the school’s assembly hall, equipping them with the knowledge and confidence they need to stay safe and informed.
This outreach formed part of the ongoing child‑protection efforts championed under the leadership of Sr. Olivia Umoh, DC, National Coordinator of ConPAHT–Talitha Kum Ghana, whose continuous guidance and commitment made this campaign possible. Her support during the preparation phase ensured the team was well‑positioned to deliver a meaningful and engaging session.
Guided by the central message, “𝑩𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏,” the session focused on raising awareness about human trafficking, child labour, domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, and forced labour within fishing and farming communities.
Ms. Eugenia Akoto‑Mensah, Programmes Manager for Talitha Kum Ghana, delivered the keynote address. She broke down the concept of human trafficking, its causes, warning signs, effects, and prevention strategies, ensuring learners clearly understood the risks involved.
Eugenia emphasized that traffickers often use deceit, manipulation, false promises, or force to exploit children. She reminded students that traffickers are not always strangers — sometimes they may be relatives, neighbours, or peers. She also urged the learners to be cautious of tempting offers, including scholarships or travel opportunities that seem too good to be true.
During an interactive discussion, students identified poverty, unemployment, drug abuse, peer pressure, child streetism, and broken homes as major drivers of trafficking. Eugenia further explained the severe consequences of trafficking, such as physical and emotional abuse, long‑term trauma, loss of education, health complications, and violations of human rights. She also highlighted how traffickers increasingly use romance scams and social media manipulation to target young people.
Following her presentation, Ms. Rosina Serwaa Aborkpui, a Social Worker at Talitha Kum Ghana, spoke to the students about their role in preventing human trafficking. She stressed that trafficking is a crime against humanity and encouraged the learners to raise awareness, look out for signs, support friends, and speak up whenever they feel unsafe. She noted that although trafficking is preventable, its consequences are painful and long‑lasting.
To conclude the programme, Mr. Osei Dacosta, I.T. Support Manager for Talitha Kum Ghana, encouraged the students to share what they learned and always stay alert. He led the distribution of educational flyers and placed awareness stickers around the school compound. Dacosta also expressed gratitude to the headteacher and staff for offering the platform to educate the learners.
The session ended with group photographs and the students’ enthusiastic chant:
“𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐚 𝐊𝐮𝐦 — 𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐨𝐰!”
