IJM denies BBC story on children raids in Ghana

International Justice Mission has denied a BBC story on children raids in Ghana, where BBC reported that children were wrongly taken in raids backed by the US charity.

According to a BBC Africa Eye investigation, Ghanaian children have been taken from their homes in an operation backed by one of the world's leading anti-slavery organisations.

BBC reported that IJM removed some children from their families in cases where there was scarce-to-no evidence of trafficking.

The corporation reported that the approach may have been fuelled by a target-driven culture inside IJM.

However, in a statement to the Star, IJM denied the claims contained in the BBC story.

IJM said only the government is legally authorized to remove a child when doing so is in the best interests of the child.

"Both this assessment and implementation of the decision can only be done by Ghanaian government authorities," read the statement.

"Further, the evidence provided by IJM in all cases cited was credible enough for the Ghanaian police to open an investigation."

IJM said its staff on multiple occasions met police leaders from Northern Regional Command and Yendi Police Command before the operation touching on the case highlighted by BBC.  

The organisation believed there was one clear case of human trafficking but the other three cases were less clear (That is, it was possible they were illegal child labour, rather than trafficking-still illegal, and still a potential source of significant harm to children.)

IJM’s intent was to enable Ghanian Police to make their determination as to whether the children were likely victims of trafficking or unlawful child labour through a full and thorough inquiry, which is the appropriate legal process, and which is what in fact occurred.

IJM said it did not withhold relevant information or provide any information known to be incorrect.

BBC reported that the multimillion-dollar charity, IJM, aims to rescue trafficked children and reunite them with their families. It added serious concerns have been raised about their West African operations.

In its story, BBC reported that a little after midnight on September 6, 2022, a man named Musah Mustafa emerged from his thatched-roof hut to relieve himself and saw four cars speeding towards his tiny village.

Mogyigna was barely a village. With just a handful of family homes and two dozen people in total, it was more like a dot in the middle of an expanse of farmland in northern Ghana. 

Cars were a rare sight during the day, let alone at night. Musah hid behind a tree and watched. When he saw armed men from the cars approach the two homes, he shouted in an attempt to wake the other residents.

But before anyone could act, the men entered the huts and forcibly removed four children, carrying an 11-year-old girl called Fatima by her arms and legs from the room where she had been sleeping with her grandparents.

A gun pointed at her neck, Fatima's grandmother Sana pleaded with the men.

She did not understand why the children were being taken away. Two of the children's uncles were also taken. Sana feared she would never see her relatives again.

However, IJM said it provided eyewitness testimony that differed from the BBC’s in crucial aspects, most notably that the police informed the children what was happening.

IJM also said the police did not hold anyone at gunpoint, left a note informing the family of the location where the children were being taken, and that Fatima was returned to another village, not her grandmother’s home, to begin attending school.’ 

In the eyes of Mogyigna's villagers, a violent kidnapping had taken place.

But this was not a kidnapping.

Officially, it was a rescue operation carried out by Ghanaian police officers, under Ghana's Human Trafficking Act. The children were transferred into the care of social services.

"IJM has been active in Ghana since 2015 to stop child trafficking on Lake Volta.  We have supported authorities on over 75 operations which have led to hundreds of children being brought to safety," a spokesperson from IJM Ghana said.

"In 90 per cent of IJM-supported cases, children have been reintegrated with family members who have been assessed as safe. All decisions on whether to bring children to safety, as well as arrests and prosecutions, are made by the police and Ghanaian authority."

The spokesperson said “In the ‘Hilltop’ case referred to by the BBC, IJM was fully transparent with police, providing them with the facts of the case, including that there was one likely case of child trafficking and three that were not clear.

"The police conducted their own investigations determining there was sufficient evidence before proceeding with the operation and – following information gathered on the operation – police filed trafficking charges against the suspects," IJM said.

 “IJM Ghana in no way misled the authorities on the facts of this case. Our work relies on the support of the government and civil society and survivor-led groups. We are grateful to our partners in Ghana for their ongoing support in tackling the very real problem of child trafficking on Volta Lake.”