Commissioner on Human Rights speaking at liberation sponsored by ECM
Ghana (MNN) ― Every Child Ministries is now offering a DVD that can help people understand the problem of modern day slavery in idol shrines.
The DVD, produced by Great Commission Resources, shows scenes from actual liberation ceremonies of slaves called trokosi in Ghana, West Africa.
Under this slavery system, young girls are sent to shrines to atone for crimes allegedly committed by members of their families. While outlawed in Ghana in 1998, the practice continues in many rural areas. Violation of the law carries a substantial penalty: three years minimum in prison, but the law is not widely enforced.
The lax enforcement is mainly due to fear the curse of the priests, which many believe has power to kill. According to ECM, for the most part it is only Christians who realize that Jesus Christ has power greater than any god. It is their voices, emboldened by that truth, that are heard speaking against the practice or to seek freedom for the trokosi slaves and their children.
A statement on ECM's website reads: "It is natural for Every Child Ministries to be anti-slavery and interested in human rights, since it is God who endues human beings with dignity and honor by creating them in His image."
That's what's been driving the ministry for 22 years. ECM also launched a project called "Stomp Out Slavery" to mobilize those newly aware.
Through the freedom efforts, the girls are not only freed but given training and, most importantly, evangelized and discipled. These girls are a seed that is the start of something new in Ghana.
