brushing against child trafficking Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 12:41 PM UTC
The morning after the shocking conversation with my rasta friend about the slave children in Ivory Coast, he took me to meet one of his friends on the roof. The thing seemed very straighforward.
"OK, you tell us if you want a boy or a girl, big or small and we'll find somebody who will organize couple of kids for you."
"How will you 'organize' couple of kids?"
"You don't worry about that, sister. We have our ways. We'll feed them well, then you come and choose the one you like." - the guy told me.
"See that woman over there?" he said, pointing to the fat lady in a sarong and a bra at the balcony in the distance, "she can get you a child."
"That woman?" I asked doubtfully.
"Yes. She's a powerful woman. A cocaine dealer. Deals with children sometimes too."
But needless to say, having a child kidnapped or bought especially for me was the last thing I wanted. I had to explain the whole thing again. And then we came up with a slightly different idea. The guy, also a Ghanian, told me there are so many girls brought here from Ghana, not exatly slaves, but working hard as housemaids in quite miserable conditions. He knows one family with such a girl personally. Now, this coincidenced with Jason, my American friend, a young businessman, telling me by email, that if I find some family or a child that he can sponsor or help in any way, I should let him know. We went together to that family, where in the crowded courtyard young girls were cooking huge pots of food, to be sold later on on the street. And among them, a girl called Akua, around 11 years old (she doesn't know her age). We talked to her landlady. A kind Ghanian woman who turned out to be quite understanding. She said that if it was really to take her back to Ghana and send her to school, then she wouldn't mind if I took her. The girl wasn't of such a great help, anyway.
So I told Jason. And not even getting up from his computer, he sent 150$ through Western Union, to pay the girl's transportation, some new clothes, toys, food, school things, and maybe the first school fees. He says he spent 160$ on a meal in a restaurant with a girl couple of days ago - and she didn't even finish her food! So this money will do more good and go much, much further. He intends to stay in touch and keep supporting Akua financially as long as she attends school, and maybe longer.
So this is it, just brushing against, but not really getting involved in the child slave trafficking market, I'm leaving tomorrow with one happy girl towards her village in Ghana.
www.kingafreespirit.pl
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