His story is a testimony to his resilience, courage and the power of survivor-led advocacy.

Through his words and actions, Jerry is protecting children from ever experiencing the harm he once faced on Lake Volta – the largest man-made lake in the world. 

Like many children in vulnerable communities, Jerry was lured into exploitative labour by traffickers who promised food, education, and a better future. His mother thought that by sending Jerry away she was giving her son the chance of an education she would struggle to afford. Jerry estimates he was about nine years old when he left his home, believing he was stepping into a new chapter filled with opportunity. Instead, cruelty and exploitation awaited him. 

Jerry was forced into hazardous child labour on the Volta Lake. He spent his days hauling heavy fishing nets, his small hands swollen and bruised, while older fishermen barked orders and threats. He was beaten, starved, and denied rest. On his very first day, he nearly drowned. The dream of security and education quickly dissolved into a daily struggle for survival.  

“I was supposed to be there for four years,” Jerry recalls, “but two years in, my mother learned the truth, how I was beaten, starved, and forced to work without rest. She fought to bring me home.” 

Jerry’s mother, a quiet but determined woman, was devastated when she discovered what had happened to her son. Another mother in the community had shared the truth with her, and from that moment, she vowed to rescue him. 

“When I heard what was happening to my son, my heart broke,” she says.

Jerry returned home malnourished and traumatised, but with a fierce determination to reclaim his life. He walked back into a classroom, ready to pursue the education that had once been promised to him. 

His journey to freedom was not easy

The scars, both physical and emotional, ran deep. But Jerry refused to let his past define him. 

Today, he is a pupil teacher and a passionate advocate against child trafficking. In the classroom, he is admired not only for his dedication but for the strength of his character. 

“Jerry is one of the most hardworking young men I have ever met,” says one of his senior colleagues. “He gives back to this community, ensuring no child goes through what he did.” 

In 2022, Jerry met Josephine Aparo as a chapter of survivors was forming in his region, and Jerry was voted in as leader of the Courageous Crew chapter of the Ghana Survivor Network. 

The Ghana Survivor Network, in alliance with the Global Survivor Network (GSN), is a group of survivor leaders who desire and pursue safe communities through justice systems that protect the most vulnerable from violence.

Now, Jerry works tirelessly to educate families about the dangers of trafficking. He collaborates with law enforcement and NGOs, speaking at community gatherings and warning parents about deceptive tactics used by traffickers. Despite facing stigma and threats, he remains resolute. “There is a stigma,” Jerry admits. “Some people see us as damaged. Others think we should just move on. But I refuse to be silent. I know what it means to suffer. And if I can stop even one child from going through what I did, then my pain has meaning.”

“No child deserves what I went through,” he says. “If you see something, say something. If you suspect trafficking, report it. Together, we can end this.”  

From the shores of Lake Volta to the frontlines of community activism, Jerry walks forward with purpose. His past fuels his mission, and his voice carries the weight of experience and the promise of change. 

Article supplied with thanks to IJM

IJM is committed to protecting the dignity, privacy and safety of vulnerable people. Names, details and images may be changed or represented by actors to protect identities. All stories and images are used with informed consent and safeguarding practices.

Feature image: Supplied

International Justice Mission Warns of Growing Forced Scamming Crisis.

30 July marks World Day Against Trafficking in Persons – a global day dedicated to raising awareness about human trafficking and promoting the protection and rights of victims and survivors.

International Justice Mission (IJM) Australia CEO David Braga said, “Human trafficking is a crime that thrives on vulnerability, denying people their freedom, dignity, and fundamental human rights. It affects millions of people worldwide and takes many forms, including forced labour, sexual exploitation and forced criminality.

This year’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons aims to raise awareness of trafficking into forced criminality in online scam centres, also known as forced scamming.

 “Forced scamming is a rapidly evolving form of human trafficking where victims are trafficked via fake job ads, stripped of documents and confined in guarded compounds under threats of violence and torture where they are forced to run lucrative online scams, such as crypto fraud and sextortion.”

“This human trafficking crisis has its roots in Southeast Asia in countries including Cambodia and Myanmar and is expanding globally to set up operations in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, affecting hundreds of thousands of trafficking victims – often vulnerable migrant workers from over 80 countries around the world.

Archangela* is an Indonesian survivor of forced scamming in Manila who IJM assisted and is now a founding director of the United Resilience Network. She said, “I hope what I went through never happens to anyone else—the ordeal I experienced as a victim of human trafficking… It was a decision I made in the midst of my vulnerability, driven by fear and anxiety about meeting my basic needs and securing my future.

“I faced many challenges in trying to return home and escape this terrifying situation, such as exorbitant fines imposed by the company… I had to work for hours on end if targets weren’t met or if I had to put in long hours; on top of that, various punishments awaited me, and I never received the salary I had hoped for,” Archangela said.

IJM has worked to support over 2,700 people whom we have determined to be victims of forced scamming in Southeast Asia’s scam compounds. We have secured 18 convictions against scam bosses responsible for human trafficking offences, including a landmark 30-year sentence handed down in Thailand and recently three sentences of life imprisonment in the Philippines.

“IJM is also partnering with tech platforms to monitor and remove fraudulent recruitment ads targeting potential trafficking victims. We have collaborated with the UNODC on the #TrappedInScamCrime awareness campaign aimed at preventing trafficking into online scamming, and are supporting survivor-led movements like the United Resilience Network who are shaping solutions to this crisis,” Mr Braga said.

As communities around the world mark World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, IJM is encouraging Australians to learn more about the realities of modern slavery and the role each of us can play in helping end violence and exploitation against vulnerable people. You can read more here.

*Pseudonym used to protect the identity of this survivor.

Article supplied with thanks to IJM

IJM is committed to protecting the dignity, privacy and safety of vulnerable people. Names, details and images may be changed or represented by actors to protect identities. All stories and images are used with informed consent and safeguarding practices.

Feature image: Canva