8-Year-Old Trafficked Child Beggar Escapes Abusive Master In Kumasi, Seeks Return Home To Niger

By Hamza Adams and Iman Salis | Noblenews

An 8-year-old girl identified as Maryam, who was allegedly trafficked from Niger to Ghana for street begging, has escaped from her master to avoid further abuse and is now pleading to be reunited with her family back home.

Maryam was found at the Aboabo bus stop in Kumasi after she got separated from her group near the Kumasi Central Mosque. She was discovered by a local resident, Sadia Maswud, who noticed the frightened child following her.

Upon questioning, the young victim revealed that she had been brought to Kumasi purposely for begging and was attempting to flee from her master due to persistent abuse.

According to Maryam, she bears visible bruises on her face and back, which she said were inflicted by her master as punishment for failing to meet daily begging quotas. She further disclosed that her parents in Niger are aware of her situation in Ghana.

She is currently being sheltered by Ms. Maswud’s family in Aboabo Extension, as efforts are made to get appropriate support for her safe return.

The case of Maryam highlights the ongoing and troubling challenge of child trafficking and forced street begging in West Africa.

Despite recent joint operations by the Ghana Immigration Service and the Ghana Police Service to clamp down on child trafficking and dismantle exploitation rings in major cities including Accra and Kumasi, vulnerable children, particularly from neighbouring Niger, continue to be trafficked into Ghana and subjected to inhumane treatment.

The incident raises critical questions about the effectiveness of current measures to protect trafficked children, the whereabouts of perpetrators behind these exploitation networks, and the urgent government and state agency actions required to effectively eradicate the practice of forced begging.

Child rights advocates are calling on the Department of Social Welfare, the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service and other stakeholders to intervene swiftly to ensure Maryam receives medical care, psychosocial support and safe repatriation.