Fuel For Justice

Statistics prove there are an alarming 800,000 children currently being trafficked into prostitution, often called sex slaves (as early as 8 years old) and/or domestic workers while subjected to violence and sexual abuse (www.unicef.org). Children are exploited in Africa largely due to unstable government, civil wars, flawed or non-existent birth registration systems and sex tourism. Poverty caused by the overwhelming need for cheap labor and desperate conditions resulting in conflict and discrimination only aggregate the already mounting problem.

The rapid spread of HIV/AIDS among adults has left many children orphaned and vulnerable to forced labor, forced prostitution or forced combat. By 2010, an estimated 20 million children under the age of 15 will have lost one or both parents to this horrific disease.

There is also a distinct linkage between HIV/AIDS and the practice of polygamy (one man taking on many wives) that is causing even more deaths (www.irinnews.org/reportwestafricachildrenindanger.hmtl).

Ghanaian female children are at risk due to rituals involving use of young female slaves, known as trikosi (families giving their daughters to priests to settle debts),  female genital mutilation (FGM) and early marriage..

Increasingly, children are being used in sex tourism in African cities. Pedophiles choose travel destinations with the purpose of victimizing children based upon inadequate laws, poverty, and the lack of protection of orphans/street children. Likewise, organized domestic and international criminal networks prey upon these children for use as sex slaves and/or child pornography. Working with local government officials to make stiffer penalties, Millstone hopes their efforts will deter the perpetrators from abusing vulnerable children. Ideally, the perpetrators will be fearful of the consequences, thus allowing the children to be less threatened.