Economics and Trokosi Slavery in Ghana

Abstract

This paper investigates Troxovi, a system of religious enslavement of young girls who are known as Trokosi. Troxovi is practiced in the Volta Region of Ghana (as well as in Togo, Benin, and south-western Nigeria). The research is approached through the lens of economics, but also acknowledges the human rights and cultural implications of the practice, specifically, the constitutional paradox whereby the legislation that protects freedom of religion appears to supersede the legislation that protects human rights. The theories of basic needs, human capital, and intergenerational transfer of economic status underlie the research. The study concludes that both the victims and the Ghanaian economy suffer from the practice of Troxovi.