By: Barbara Dela
The Western Region is one of Ghana’s resource-favored regions. The region is endowed with natural resources such as oil, minerals, and forest. Wassa Akropong, the capital of Wassa Amenfi East District in the Western Region, is home to minerals such as gold.
Wassa Akropong has been in the news over the years for small-scale illegal mining, commonly referred to as galamsey. The mining activities have attracted a lot of investors including Ghanaians and foreigners to the area. The foreigners include Indians, Chinese, Togolese and Nigerians. The Indians deal in the repair and rental of excavators. The Nigerian men are mostly petty traders, whereas the Togolese are into illegal mining.
Around 2017, Chinese migrants in Wassa Akropong were more than 2,000, according to their Spokesperson. This earned the town the nickname ‘China Town’ or ‘China City’. Apart from mining, the Chinese were involved in other businesses. They owned repair shops, restaurants, supermarkets, bars, Casinos and Hotels with Chinese signages.
Currently, the Chinese population has reduced as a result of a clampdown on illegal mining and a shooting incident, which led to the relocation of some of the Chinese by the Ghana police. Commercial sex is said to be one of the common and rapidly growing trades in the community. Some of the girls do it for a living. Others are simply victims of sexual exploitation.
Sexual exploitation is defined by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as an actual or attempted abuse of someone’s position of vulnerability (such as a person depending on you for survival, food rations, school, books, transport or other services), differential power or trust, to obtain from sexual favors, including but not only, by offering money or other social, economic or political advantages. It includes trafficking and prostitution. Despite the fact that there are a lot of business opportunities available, some Chinese and Nigerians find it more lucrative to sexually exploit girls for their personal gain.
A few months ago, two (2) Nigerian girls were being chased into a restaurant by their Madam for refusing to pay ‘their dues’ as it were. According to the girls, like all trafficking stories, they were brought from their country into the community through deception. The madam, known as Big Mama, promised to pay their traveling expenses, give them a decent job, accommodation, feeding, and clothing, all at the cost of 25,000 cedis, which should be paid over a period through a salary deduction.
However, the story changed upon arrival. The Nigerian girls are made to sleep with clients of their Madams at a fee of between 150 and 250 cedis. On certain occasions, the girls go out to look for customers, so they can get money to settle their debts.
The girls are said to be living in Guesthouses and uncompleted structures alleged to be properties of their bosses. Some of the fortunate victims who have the ability to pay their debts have now started a family and are living happily with their husbands and children.
The Chinese are not left out of this business. Although the mode of recruitment is quite similar to that of the Nigerians, their operation is slightly different. Basically, the Chinese Ladies were trafficked to Wassa Akropong to service their men.
Nevertheless, if an indigene has money to spare, he can approach them. They pay more than 1,000 cedis for sex. Their Chinese counterparts pay less. Unlike the Nigerians, the Chinese don’t go looking for customers. It is not common to identify a Chinese sex worker in the town. They hardly move out of their casinos and hotels.