Anti-Trafficking Campaign Penetrates Schools

Reprinted courtesy of the Concord Times (Freetown, Sierra Leone)

By Joseph Adu

Faith Alliance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAAST) last week established Anti-Trafficking School Clubs in four secondary schools in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Grammar School, Vine Memorial, Prince of Wales and Bishop Johnson Memorial Secondary School are the first set of schools that witnessed the launching of Anti-Trafficking School Clubs.

FAAST Community and Public Affairs specialist Fabundeh Ansumana stated that the fight against human trafficking requires a collective approach. "We started this campaign four years ago and today we have a law against human trafficking in Sierra Leone.”

“We have visited eighty five communities and have trained over 1000 police officers to implement the law against trafficking," Ansumana said.

He said the establishment of Anti-Trafficking School Club in schools is to inject into young people the elements to fight against human trafficking, a menace that is affecting human dignity.

Honorably Elizabeth Alpha-Lavallie said trafficking in person is a violation of a person's human rights.

"Trafficking in person has become one of the world's money making concerns. This act is usually associated with women and children as a result of poverty, unemployment and lack of education," Hon. Lavallie said.

She said as Chair of the Committee on Human Rights in parliament she will continue to propagate the fight against trafficking in persons in the country.

Jamesina King, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, said the establishment of Anti-Trafficking School Clubs in the country is important because the act eats into the fabric of the country's human dignity.

"The establishment of Anti-Trafficking School Clubs is a laudable initiative that will not only inform and educate but also protect those most at risk of being victims of human trafficking. It will also highlight the need to address the root causes of trafficking and assist victims to seek redress. It is indeed an outcome of change of attitude to save human dignity," she said.

Certificates were awarded to teachers of the five schools for their contributions in the fight against human trafficking.

To learn more about World Hope International’s fight against human trafficking and our work with the FAAST coalition, click here. To learn more about our work in Sierra Leone, visit our Sierra Leone country page.