At a recent gathering for members of the Ghana Survivor Network, 22-year-old James spoke passionately: “We take this work of advocacy seriously, and we mean it when we say we don’t want any child to suffer as we did!”

The auditorium erupted with applause, fired up by his conviction and contagious courage.

As President of his local Ghana Survivor Network (GSN) chapter, James spends his days working with other survivors of human trafficking to stop the cycle of abuse in their communities. He doesn’t want more children like him to have to suffer the trauma of exploitation as he did.
 

But James has not always been this bold, nor did always feel safe to speak his mind.

At 11 years old, James was trafficked by someone he trusted, lured by the promises of a good education and a better future. At first, those promises proved true as he joined a school near the border in Ghana’s Western Region.

Life felt like a dream! He was settling into school and getting an education just as he hoped he would. But when school let out for vacation, the life he hoped for quickly faded.

James was taken across the border of Ghana into Côte d’Ivoire, where he worked day and night on a fishing boat. Each day became a battle for survival—waking up before dawn, casting nets in treacherous waters, enduring beatings and constant threats.

When James’ brother learned what had happened to him, the family was shocked. They managed to convince the perpetrator to bring James home. For years after, James struggled to regain his confidence.

"Before, I was brilliant," James recalls, "but the trafficking experience destroyed my confidence."

This all changed when he joined the Ghana Survivor Network. With IJM’s support, James found healing from his horrific abuse and rediscovered the strength of his own voice. He chose to turn his personal pain into powerful advocacy.

Today, his voice rings loud as he leads a powerful grassroots movement to protect children like him from being trafficked.

And it was you and your decision to give a gift at Christmas time that will help more survivors like James find their voices, too.

“Our stories have power and our voices have the power to create change in our communities,” shares James. 
 

With people like you by their side, more survivors will be supported to use their stories for good to stop violence, trafficking, and exploitation before they start.

What better gift is there than that?