Ghana is a hotspot for child sex tourists, where paedophiles can go about their business with no conviction in sight, says a recently published article in OneWorld.
The online magazine’s story hinges on research by Dutch journalist Sanne Terlingen investigating the case of someone referred to as ‘Ruth’. The 17-year-old Ghanaian claims that she was raped in her native country by a wealthy, well-reputed Dutchman who travels there regularly.
“I was eight years of age when I was first raped. He pretended to take care of me and he paid my school fees,” she is quoted as saying. Ruth sued her alleged assaulter two years ago, but the trial is lingering on with no end in sight, and the defendant remains a free man. Although a lawsuit against him is pending in capital city Accra, he hasn’t spent a single night in jail, nor has he shown up in the courtroom. The man has been accused of raping at least one minor. In the Netherlands, he enjoys the reputation of a benefactor.
Not the only one
According to the OneWorld article, he is not the only Dutch national suspected of paedophilia in Ghana. Members of Ghana’s Dutch expatriate community can readily identify a number of people they suspect to be paedophiles, citing them by nicknames, such as ‘The Meat Merchant’ and ‘Tall Ad’.
The Ghanaian NGO Coalition on the Rights of the Child reported in 2006 that “more and more Ghanaian children are being abused by citizens of Western countries”, and that the country is “earning a reputation on paedophile websites as a safe destination for child sex”.
This was also confirmed by Ghanaian lawyer Irene Aborchie-Nyahe, who told OneWorld that Ghana has become an ideal holiday destination for Western child sex tourists.
“The world has changed over the past years,” says Aborchie-Nyahe. “At first only missionaries and philanthropists came to Africa. Today more people can afford to fly to Ghana, including those with bad intentions…but most Ghanaians are not aware of that. Our children believe that all white people are good.”
Dutch priorities
The Dutch government has prioritized combating child sex tourism and holding its perpetrators accountable. In the past, Dutch nationals have been prosecuted and convicted in the Netherlands for acts of sexual abuse that occur towards minors in foreign countries. But because Ruth’s case is already being tried in Ghana, her alleged abuser is not being prosecuted in his native country.
You can read OneWorld’s article ‘Paradise for pedos’ in its original Dutch version here or translated into English here.
Email this Article
Printer-friendly version
Young people are sexual beings. Science has determined that early sexual experiences usually cause no harm to children.We are now in the midst of a "moral panic" about sexuality involving young people. Some day, others will look back and cry, "Shame! Shame!" at we who now allow the mistreatment of adults who have sexual contact with minors. But by then it will be too late...
Wow a paedo comment. All you paedophiles think early sexual experiences with children cause no harm but i beg to differ. Working in mental health i see alot of kids who are traumatised by what has happened to them and some even go on to commit violent acts themselves. Paedophiles and child abusers dont care what happens to a child after they are finished with them so for you to say that no harm is caused is very wrong. We will look back and say SHAME SHAME to grown men and woman who use children for sexual pleasure when a child should grow up and live happy normal lives. Let children be children not sexual play things for deviants.
Have you not seen the JONG episode?
http://www.eo.nl/programma/jong/2011-2012/page/Pedofiel___Misbruikt___de...
This kind of "journalism" demonize and make harder for this people to come out!
http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/ghana-%E2%80%9Cparadise-paedophiles%E2%...
This is something the immigration officers at the airport can help combat. Most sex offenders are registered by their respective countries but cannot be stopped from travelling outside their countries. However, the information on these registrations can be gleaned from the various country records.
If our officers were doing their jobs properly, our children will be safe.
@ Charles
I agree with you that immigration officers can be part of the solution, but only for men who are already prosecuted once. Only one of the men I mention in the article is registered. Since most of them spend several months a year in Ghana, and sexually abuse the children over there, their practices are unknown in their countries of origin.
@Alicante - if you read the full article, you'll see that it is not about peadophiles in general. It is about peadophiles who travel to Ghana with the purpose of abusing young children. But 'Paradise for Western peadophiles who travel with the purpose... etc.' is not a good headline.
Don't judge a book by it's cover. Don't judge an article only by it's headline.
This article is not about the problems of being a peadophile, but about the increasing amount of child sex tourist travelling to Africa/Ghana, and the (im)possibilities to get justice done.
This is insulting and demonizing for all pedophiles. A place where children are raped with inpunity is NOT a "paradise" for anyone, and certainly not for pedophiles!
How can you demonize people so much based on their sexual orientation? How can you say that a place where children are RAPED is a "paradise" for pedophile? Do you even realize what that implies? Do you think that pedophiles like to rape children or happy with children being raped? Pedoiphiles are human beings for gods sake! Your "journalism" is DISGUSTING and a shame to the entire world! You DEMONIZE people exclusively based on their sexual orientation. Most pedophiles DO NOT rape children or would consider this a "paradise"!
A place where women are raped is an heterosexual paradise?
"DISCLAIMER: Not all Dutch people in Ghana are engaging in child sex tourism or other forms of exploitation."
I guess that a "Disclaimer: Not all pedophiles are child raping monsters and most pedophiles consider this situations as horrendous and abominable as most heterosexual people" was too unimportant to be included, right?
Of course paedophiles rape children. Children do not understand anything about sex nor is there body equipped to death with an adult apendage. Paedophiles groom and rape and abuse children end of story.
are you serious?
Alicante, u really sound like one of them!!!
are u a pedophile??
Post new comment
Please be reminded all comments must be in English, short and to the point - guideline 250 words. Abusive and inappropriate comments will be removed.