A recent undercover investigation by BBC Africa Eye has brought to light some concerning practices by International Justice Mission (IJM), a prominent charity combatting human trafficking.
IJM, which receives significant funding, including a $5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has reportedly carried out actions that have led to considerable damage to at least two families in Ghana.
According to the BBC’s findings, Ghanaian police, acting upon IJM’s directives, executed night raids and removed children from their families, a process that has had significant psychological impacts.
Furthermore, the relatives of these children were subject to prosecution for alleged trafficking.
The results of these actions, regardless of whether the court cases were won or lost, were financially and socially catastrophic for the families involved.
A notable incident in this series of events was the ‘Operation Hilltop’ raid conducted in September 2022.
During the raid, four children, including an 11-year-old girl named Fatima, were taken from the village of Mogyigna.
The child was forcibly separated from her grandmother, who was held at gunpoint, while two of Fatima’s uncles were arrested.
These actions were taken under the premise that the children were trafficked as “slave laborers” on Lake Volta.
However, the narrative provided by IJM’s legal officer via an internal WhatsApp conversation starkly contrasted this assertion.
The legal officer stated that in three out of the four cases, there were “no elements of trafficking,” and the fourth case was disputed by the child’s family.
Despite this discrepancy, IJM proceeded with the removal of the children, justifying their actions by claiming the children were at risk of being forced into child labor.
Consequently, the children spent over four months isolated in an IJM shelter without any news from their families, while Ghanaian social services confirmed that no trafficking had taken place.
The children were eventually reunited with their families, but not without significant costs.
“I was terrified and I started crying,” Fatima said about the night of Operation Hilltop. “I thought they were taking us away to kill us. We didn’t know where they were taking us.”
While in the shelter, she presumed her “grandmother, grandfather, uncles had died”.
“When I was taken away, I cried a lot while thinking about my family,” she said.
By the time the children were returned, Fatima’s grandfather had passed away.
Furthermore, her uncles, who had been charged with child trafficking and child labor, had spent their savings on court and bail proceedings before they were exonerated.
Notably, IJM is so intertwined with Ghana’s legal system that a charity lawyer stood in for the state prosecutor during a hearing.
BBC’s investigation also revealed an alleged quota system employed by the IJM, mandating a specific number of rescues and prosecutions each year.
According to a senior IJM staff member, employees who fail to meet these targets risk losing salary increases and potentially their employment.
An employee confirmed this pressure by saying, “We can’t say we didn’t get even one [child], we need to get some.”
Source: Bill Gates-Funded Charity Accused of Kidnapping Children in Ghana – American Faith