BBC News Africa
The Night They Came for Our Children - BBC Africa Eye Documentary
Could anti-slavery efforts in Ghana be doing more harm than good to local communities? #BBCAfricaEye goes undercover to investigate one of the world’s leading anti-slavery organisations and their West African operations.
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On 6 September 2022, in northern Ghana, four children were taken, at gunpoint, from their home in the middle of the night.
They were brought to a hotel, photographed, washed and fed. At sunrise, they were relocated to a shelter. Their families were left in the dark as to where and why.
For the American charity coordinating the raid, it was a successful mission to rescue child slaves.
For the families, it felt like a kidnapping, leaving them bewildered and traumatised.
What really happened to these children?
With a trail of WhatsApp messages, secret filming, and a journey to some of the remotest areas of Ghana, Africa Eye brings you the story of what happens when good intentions go horribly wrong.
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Africa Eye brings you original, investigative journalism revealing secrets and rooting out injustice in the world’s most complex and exciting continent. Nothing stays hidden forever.
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Credits:
Reporters - Kyenkyenhene Boateng, Yahaya Masahudu
Filmed, Produced and Directed by Chiara Francavilla
BBC Africa Eye Editor - Tom Watson
Executive Producers - Andy Bell, Michael Simkin
Investigative Producers - Kwakye Afreh-Nuamah, Aliaume Leroy, Max Hudson
Open-Source Analysis - Bertram Hill
Film Editor - Rob Miller
Director of Photography - Kevin Okai
Production Manager - Simon Frost
Reversioning Producer - Anna Payton
Digital Producer - Tamasin Ford
Social Media Producer - Anusha Kumar
Impact Producer - Blanca Munoz
Production Coordinator - Sarah Clarke
Online Editor - Chris Stott
Dubbing Mixer - Jez Spencer
Colour Grader - Boyd Nagle
Translators - Shaniece Palm, Nasiba Mbabe Bawa, Taufique Chentiba Ahmed, Ofosua Owusu
Motion Graphics Designer - Manuella Bonomi
Additional camera - Alex Tackie
Production Support - Abigail Knight
Digital Technicians - David Smith, Regan Wharton
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#BBCAfrica #Ghana #Documentary #Africa #ijm
00:00 Introduction
02:32 'Operation Hilltop': What really happened?
08:04 Who are International Justice Mission - IJM?
11:57 Going undercover
16:40 "They just came and grabbed me"
21:42 A targets-driven culture
23:44 The case of 'James'
33:00 Making sense of the evidence
39:38 A community's effort
43:41 "You have to make up the numbers"
47:28 IJM's response
Published Jul 9, 2023
