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As The Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service and some organizations continue to educate the public on the dangers and risks involved in child labour and trafficking, fishmongers in Elmina in the Central Region have raised alarm about the influx of child trafficking in the area.

Speaking to the Daily Heritage in an interview,the fishmongers hinted that children between the ages of six and 15 from coastal communities in the Central Region have made Elmina their hub and troop there as and when they deem fit in search of greener pastures without their parents.

These children, according to the fishmongers, hail from Abandze, Kormantse, Cape Coast and some parts of the Western Region and called on DOVVSU to as matter of urgency visit the area and send all the children to their parents before something terrible happens to them.

This worrying situation is of concern to fishmongers in Elmina as they claim most of the children have become thieves and do not have places to lay their heads and are seen everywhere in the community.

The queen of the fishmongers in the area, Nana Adowa Mensah who added her voice to the warning, indicated that all efforts by the women to sack the children have failed as the children keep trooping there.

She expressed shock about how some mothers leave their children to roam and leave their lives in their hands and hoped government would intervene to return the children to their homes.

Another fishmonger, Nana Eguaba who also spoke to the paper feared most of the children could be trafficked and asked the government to attach importance to their plight as the existence of the kids in the area are affecting their business.

When the paper approached the Project Officer of the Central and Western Fishmonger Association, Nicholas Smith on their take on the issue, he made it clear to this reporter that some interventions are being made to save the situation such as educating fishmongers and women groups in the coastal belt to build capacity and improve their lot.

He added that stakeholders have shown keen interest in the impending situation and are working towards eradicating child labour and trafficking issues in the Central Region.

According to him, his outfit is organizing series of capacity building workshops for the coastal communities in the Central and Western Regions and hoped the education will go a long way to improve their lot.