When Life Becomes a Commodity: Human and Wildlife Trafficking

From 3 am to 8 pm, James Kofi Annan, not yet 6 years old, worked in a fishing village with other children. Like the other children with whom he worked, he was sold for labor. He moved from village to village working in fishing villages, usually with one meal a day, no medical care, and little sleep. When he was 13, he managed to escape and returned home to the relief of this mother and the ire of his father, who had received ongoing payments. Despite ridicule for his poverty, he enrolled in school, learned to read, and excelled—eventually being one of only a few to attend college. He then worked for five years at Barclay’s Bank of Ghana. After five years, he resigned to devote his efforts full-time to “Challenging Heights,” an organization he established to rescue, shelter, and educate child slaves, especially about their rights. The organization works in prevention and advocacy and educates parents about the dangers of trafficking and the opportunities that school and health care open up for their children. Annan has won a number of awards, including the Frederick Douglass Freedom Award in 2008. He uses award money to further his work.