For hundreds of years in the Volta region of Ghana, West Africa, the Trokosi practice (Trokosi is a Ghanaian word meaning "slaves to the Gods") has been enslaving young virgin girls in ritualistic sexual bondage.

These innocent virgins, some as young as five years old, are given by their parents under the fear of the death curses of the Fetish (village) Priest to serve a life of slavery in the Fetish shrines as payment for the crimes and offenses of others. These shrines are compounds where idol worship takes place. It was in this region of Ghana where the voodoo cult originated and came to the Americas with the slave trade.

An aggrieved person determines what the crime or offense is and reports it to the shrine priest in order to punish the guilty party's family with mysterious deaths and diseases. It is then that the family is forced to send a young virgin to stop the curses believed to be caused by the Fetish gods. During the humiliating initiation ceremony, the new slave is stripped of any clothing except a cloth between her thighs. She is then paraded through her village. Read "Forgotten:  Esther's Story".

I.N. Network Ghana was established in 1987 and is committed to the development of the rural and underprivileged people of Ghana. The Trokosi Liberation and Vocational Training Project springs from the compassion and vision of Rev. Walter Pimpong, who has built a relationship of trust with the Fetish priests and village elders over the years.

Working closely with the government, I.N. Network Ghana has played an integral part in passing a law on June 12, 1998 that made the Trokosi practice a criminal offense, punishable by a minimum of three years in jail. Even with the law, it's almost impossible to enlist the help of regional police because of their fear of the curse.

However, the power of God is at work as approximately 31 shrines have stopped the practice through the efforts of Rev. Pimpong and his staff, and over 3,500 women have been freed. But, there are still an estimated 2,000 more slave girls in bondage, not including their 8,000 children who are fathered by the priests and are also subjected to a life of captivity and abuse.

The political climate of Ghana now is right to eradicate the practice of slavery; therefore, it is the goal of I.N. Network Ghana and I.N. Network USA to affect the release and rehabilitation of these Trokosi over the next 3 to 5 years. The role of I.N. Network Ghana does not end with the release of these women--it is just the beginning. Each of them is welcomed into I.N. Network's Vocational Training Program which teaches them to read and write the local language, provides them with nutritious meals, healthcare/counseling, clothing, and equips each woman with a skill such as dressmaking, weaving, pottery, baking and hairstyling. These skills allow her to be self-sufficient and to eventually provide for herself and her children. The children also are rehabilitated through the loving staff at I.N. Network schools where they are clothed, provided with nutritional food, given a quality education and medical care.

Listen to the story of one girl's journey to Freedom from slavery and how the I.N. Network has played a role in this young woman's life. Please press the play arrow to start the audio clip.

You can learn more about this important ministry by viewing the I.N. Network USA documentary video "Slaves to the God's", a 20-minute, gripping picture of God's love in action as you hear first-hand from the released Trokosi slave girls, visit their villages and see the Vocational Training facilities at Adidome, Ghana. Once you see it, you too will want to add your voice to the many who are already crying "Freedom"!

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