Police in Sierra Leone Investigate NGO on Child Trafficking Allegations

Police in Sierra Leone

Four members of a US-based non governmental organisation have been released on bail by the police in Sierra Leone after questioning them in connection with a child trafficking scandal. The police are investigating claims by 40 parents in the northern city of Makeni that their children were trafficked to the United States 13 years ago from the city. Francis Munu, the Assistant Inspector-general of police who is heading the investigations in conjunction with officials of Interpol, told journalists “We have quizzed, and detained for a number of hours but later released on bail four senior workers of the organisation Help a Needy Child International (Hanci)”. No officials names were mentioned but he said “We are treating the investigation at an extremely high level,” Munu said. “We have obtained statements from most of the affected parents and are making contacts with the necessary government agencies that were reported to have carried out adoption process.”

According to the AFP, A parent of one of the adopted children who asked not to be identified said, “I handed my daughter, who was then 10 years old, to the organisation for care purposes, but have not been told the fate of her since then.” “The organisation promised to educate her up to university level in Sierra Leone as she had become disadvantaged as a result of the rebel war in the country,” he said. The NGO group Hanci, has denied that the children were trafficked. A senior executive of the organisation, Dr Roland Kargbo, said, “The children were flown to the US with the consent of their parents.” But the parents strongly denied this.

The police went on to say that one of the objectives of the investigations is to see how they can establish communication with any of the adoptive parents or the adopted children and this is why they have the collaborative help from Interpol. “Although it is a bit critical as some of the people who are alleged to have played vital functions are difficult to trace as well as some important documents, we should be able to end our probe in four weeks time and send the file to the Law Officers Department for legal advice,” the police chief went on to say. Mr Soccoh Kabia, Sierra Leone’s Social Welfare and Children’s Affairs Minister said, that the government is fully supporting the police investigations. The Minister said that he has ordered the immediate suspension of all activities regarding adoption and that he will propose amendments to the country’s adoption laws which will make it mandatory for people wanting to adopt a Sierra Leonean child to be resident in the country for six months before the request is considered.

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