A 16-year-old girl in Togo, identified only as Victoria, has disclosed that individuals posing as philanthropists are trafficking young girls from Nigeria and Ghana into Togo and forcing them into prostitution. According to Victoria, girls aged between 12 and 18 are enticed with false promises and then transported across borders.
She said that some of these girls, primarily from Ghana and Nigeria, are sometimes drugged and brought into Togo while unconscious, with new victims arriving weekly. Upon arrival, they are left with no real options other than to engage in commercial sex work to survive and pay their expenses. One victim told 3News sources in Togo, “They deceived me from Nigeria to Ghana and brought me to Togo.
Now things are no more working smoothly, that is why I joined this (sex work).” Her testimony highlights the increasing concerns over human trafficking and the exploitation of young girls for sex work.
According to reports from the International Justice Mission, child sex trafficking remains a major challenge. Up to 40% of young girls exploited in commercial sex rings within Ghana originate from neighbouring countries, and over 75% of these victims are between the ages of 8 and 14.
Ghana’s human trafficking cases have surged by over 1,000%, from 95 in 2024 to 1,202 cases in 2025, according to the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service. The US Department of State says cross-border trafficking primarily affects vulnerable women and children from neighbouring West African countries (e.g., Nigeria, Togo, Burkina Faso).
Source: Publishing Desk