Trokosi in Ghana

Trokosi in Ghana

Introduction

According to a tradition practiced in Ghana named trokosi, Virgin girls are presented to the priests of the village as an offering for the forgiveness of their sins. These girls become the property of the priests who use then as “slaves of the god”. They are mane to carry out domestic tasks such as fetching water, farming, washing, and cooking. This bondage also includes sexual servitude. This is a major social issue since the rights of humans are being compromised (Parrot & Cummings, 2006). This essay highlights the issues being faced by the girls that are kept as slaves and provides suggestions to reduce it.

Discussion

According to the trokosi tradition, whenever a family member commits a sin, they have to donate a virgin daughter to the priest at the temple. This priest keeps the girl for a period he wishes. This period could last up to 10 years or even life depending on the severity of the issue. These girls are made to perform all the chores of the priest including sexual servitude and their lives are usually destroyed. They are kept like slaves and are not even allowed to go to school. However, if the family does not have a virgin daughter; they are made to pay a huge amount of money to the priest. This amount is usually so high that the family has to sell off all their property in order to pay the priest. There is also a requirement that in case a girl dies; the family has to replace her of with another daughter or compensation (Aird, n.d.).

Modern trokosi slavery is a bit different from the slavery of the past since it is more related to slavery than an offering to god. Parents are forced to give their virgin girls to the priests where they face sexual, physical, and mental abuse. The condition of all the girls in the hands of the priests are the same and the hope of being released are usually low. They feel banished by the family and being used in order to get the sins of the family members forgiven. This is the reason that once released, these girls do not return home since they feel that they are treated unethically and their work to get the burden of the family is unjustifiable (Rwomire, 2001).

These days, the trokosi shrines are like businesses in which the main objectives of the priests are to earn money and material goods. In some shrines, priests do not even see the visitors if they do not present an offering. However, it is not only the priests who are gaining from all this; the elders of the community own the temples and are also part of this organized slavery in which they too get to earn a handsome amount. There are two ways by which the priest benefits. Firstly, they receive a lot of money and goods as offerings. Secondly, they receive girls as slaves who are make to work several hours a day ...