The Aklidokpo traditional shrine near Adidome, N. Tongu District, Volta Region of Ghana practiced a form of slavery popularly called trokosi, but called ritual or customary servitude by the government of Ghana. In this system, shrine priests take in young virgins as a sort of “living sacrifices” in an attempt to make atonement for a crime allegedly committed by a male member of the family. The priest of the Aklidokpo shrine died, and rather than enstooling a new priest, the shrine owners and elders of the community agreed to liberate their slaves and end the practice in that place. In this case an 18 year old woman was freed from shrine slavery. Taken into slavery at an early age, she was denied education and is unable to read. She had received partial release and married at an early age, but this arrangement did not end her slavery. The shrine still controlled who she married and where she lived and travelled, and she was fined for the least mistake and required to attend the annual festival every year and to bring sacrifices so expensive that getting them together still dominated her life all year long. The marriage did not last long. The husband abandoned her while she was pregnant because someone told him he should not have married a trokosi. Then she lost the child as well. At the beginning of counseling, the victim was extremely bitter. After liberation she decided to become a Christian, which caused her family, which follows African traditional religion, to turn against her. The victim feels very lonely.
Location
Ghana · Ghana · 2002
(location generalized to protect survivors) Response & intervention
Although no one has ever been prosecuted for involvement in ritual servitude, law enforcement is supportive of the liberation efforts by NGO’s. The liberation was attended by CHRAJ (Committee on Human Rights & Administrative Justice), police and representatives of several government agencies.
The practice of ritual or customary servitude was outlawed in Ghana in 1998, but no one has ever been prosecuted under the law. Rather, the practical implementation of the law has fallen largely to NGO's who have facilitated the shrines in ending the practice. Two NGO's, Every Child Ministries Ghana and Fetish Slaves Liberation Movement negotiated with the Aklidokpo shrine community and educated them as to the issues over a span of over a year, finally winning the approval of the shrine for the liberation of all its trokosi slaves on January 22, 2004. The liberation was a public event in which the shrine freed the slaves and their children and agreed to end the practice of ritual servitude in that place.
The victims were emancipated in a public and culturally appropriate ceremony which ended their obligation to the shrine. Afterwards they received direct aid, family reconciliation intervention where possible, aid in starting a small business, and counseling both immediate and long term. http://www.ecmafrica.org/36208.ihtml
Every Child Ministries (ECM) Ghana and Fetish Slaves Liberation Movement
One of the main focus points of Every Child Ministries is an anti-slavery/anti-trafficking initiative on behalf of African children. ECM has conducted extensive research into the issue of ritual servitude and follows all the shrines of the area that still hold trokosi slaves. This liberation was one of the fruits of that initiative.
Documented on the original SlaveryMap (2008–2016). Use “Report a problem” below to add a source or flag an issue.