Two months after the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) conducted what they termed a “successful” repatriation exercise in May 2025, the streets of Accra tell a different story. The same children and their guardians who were arrested during the widely publicised operation are back on the streets—and in greater numbers than before. This predictable outcome shows the fundamental flaws in GIS’s approach and raises serious questions about the transparency and effectiveness of their methods.
In May 2025, GIS conducted an operation that resulted in the arrest of over 2,000 individuals, including children and adults. The operation, which targeted foreign nationals engaged in street begging, was presented as a decisive action against irregular migration and child trafficking. However, the lack of transparency surrounding the exercise was immediately apparent. The Starlight Foundation, while acknowledging the need to address the issue of street-connected children, questioned how the exercise was conducted. The objectives were unclear, the methodology opaque, and the post-repatriation plan nonexistent. We raised concerns about the child-sensitive approach required for such operations, emphasising that any intervention must prioritise the rights and welfare of the children involved.
The recent footage by Channel One TV circulating on social media platforms shows the harsh reality that advocates like the Starlight Foundation anticipated. The children are back on the streets of Accra, their numbers seemingly increased, their situations unchanged. This outcome was not only predictable but inevitable given the superficial nature of the GIS exercise. We challenge Mr. Michael Amoako-Atta, Head of Public Affairs at the Ghana Immigration Service, to explain this glaring failure. After receiving public commendation for the May operation, where are the sustainable outcomes promised? GIS reported that some of the 2,241 arrested individuals were repatriated, but to where exactly? What measures were put in place to ensure these children would not return to the streets? What rehabilitation or reintegration support was provided?
The silence from GIS on these critical questions is deafening and unacceptable. Where was the Department of Social Welfare in this exercise? Where were the established partnerships with NGOs, CBOs, and civil society organisations that have been working tirelessly with street-connected children? The absence of these critical stakeholders from the planning and execution of the operation is a glaring oversight that has contributed to its failure.
Starlight Foundation is not surprised by this outcome. The exercise violated children’s rights from its inception. The mass arrests, the lack of proper screening to identify trafficking victims, and the absence of child-sensitive procedures all point to a system that prioritises appearance over substance. We call on the Ghana Immigration Service to provide transparent reporting on the destinations of repatriated children and the measures taken to ensure their safety and reintegration, acknowledge the failure of the current approach and commit to evidence-based, child-centred interventions, collaborate meaningfully with social welfare departments, NGOs, and child protection agencies in future operations, and develop comprehensive strategies that address root causes rather than symptoms.
True progress in addressing the issue of street-connected children requires a coordinated, comprehensive approach that goes beyond immigration enforcement. This includes strengthening social protection systems to prevent family breakdown and child abandonment, investing in education and skills training to provide alternatives to street life, enhancing cross-border cooperation with source countries to address trafficking networks, providing rehabilitation and reintegration support rather than mere deportation, and ensuring child participation in designing programmes that affect them. The current situation is not just a failure of policy but a failure of imagination. We have the knowledge, the expertise, and the legal frameworks to address this issue effectively. What we lack is the political will to move beyond quick fixes and photo opportunities towards sustainable, rights-based solutions.
The return of these children to the streets of Accra is a stark reminder that enforcement alone cannot solve complex social problems. It is a testament to the resilience of these children and a damning indictment of our collective failure to protect them. The Starlight Foundation remains committed to advocating for the rights of street-connected children and working towards sustainable solutions. We call on all stakeholders—government agencies, civil society, and the international community—to join us in demanding better for these vulnerable children. The time for cosmetic interventions is over. Ghana’s street-connected children deserve comprehensive, compassionate, and effective responses that address their needs and protect their rights. The GIS exercise of May 2025 and its aftermath should serve as a wake-up call for all of us to do better.
Video credit: Channel One TV
