By Rachel Kakraba
About 803 violations involving human Trafficking have been reported in Ghana between 2017 and date. Seven hundred and ninety-seven cases have been investigated, with more than two hundred prosecutions carried out so far. Two hundred and ten persons have been convicted and sentenced for human trafficking and child labour-related offences, ranging from a fine to jail terms between five and twenty-five years.
A member of the Human Trafficking Management Board, Prof. Angela Ofori-Atta, made the revelation as Ghana joined the rest of the global community to observe World Day against Human Trafficking on Sunday, July 30.
Prof. Ofori-Atta said more than three thousand victims of Human Trafficking have also been rescued in the last six years. This, she said, is made up of two thousand, three hundred and twenty-two children and one thousand three hundred and seventy adults.
“There has been significant improvement over the past five years in terms of prosecutions. In 2015 and 2016, we had a total of two convictions each. However, from 2017, till date, the total cases reported is 803 reported and 797 investigated by the Anti Human Trafficking Units in the Ghana Police and Ghana Immigration Service. For the same reporting periods, a total of over 221 of these cases were prosecuted for offences of human trafficking. 210 individuals have been convicted and sentenced for human trafficking and child labour related offences ranging from a fine and jail terms between 5-25 years”
She said Ghana has shelters to cater for rescued victims of human trafficking.
“The good news is that Ghana has not only a children’s shelter but also an adult shelter for rescued female victims of human trafficking. The adult shelter has cared for 240 victims who have been rehabilitated by the adult shelter alone since its operationalization on 1st February, 2019. The children’s shelter has cared for over 189 children since its operationalization in August, 2020. This was made possible through the Human Trafficking Fund for victims care and shelter support.”
Prof. Ofori-Atta expressed fear that some trafficked persons could be forced to give up organs in the illegal trade of humans.
About World Day against Trafficking in Persons
In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly designated July 30 as the World Day against Trafficking in Persons. Otherwise known as the Blue Day, the Day is to raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and promote and protect their rights. Human trafficking is a crime that exploits persons especially women, children, and men, for numerous purposes, including forced labour and sex. Every country in the world is affected by human trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit, or destination for victims.
Situation in Ghana
Ghana, like many countries the world over, has had its fair share of human trafficking. Some Ghanaian women and children are recruited by unscrupulous fraudulent agencies that entice them with offers of good-paying jobs in domestic service or the hospitality industry, especially in the Middle East, where they are sometimes abused, raped, tortured, and reduced to nothing. In a reverse way, some victims of trafficking are lured to Ghana with the promise of good jobs but are unfortunately coerced into prostitution and fraudulent online activities to pay exorbitant debts for their transportation and lodging. It is in light of this that Ghana is leaving no stone unturned in tackling the menace, which takes away the dignity of fellow human beings. The Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection is leading this initiative. Deputy Sector Minister, Francisca Oteng Mensah, says although the ministry has taken various steps to address the phenomenon, it is confronted with logistical challenges and has appealed for the support of especially corporate Ghana to pursue more interventions.
“Let me use this opportunity to appeal to corporate bodies, development partners, and other stakeholders to contribute to the Human Trafficking Fund to ensure that more interventions can be undertaken by the Ministry. By doing so, you will be contributing to global and country efforts to reduce human trafficking activities.”
Madam Oteng Mensah advised Ghanaians, especially the youth, to shun irregular migration, which is usually a feature of human trafficking.
“Let me highlight these critical issues about migration and human trafficking. Most individuals move to destinations which are not familiar to them, therefore making them vulnerable. Let’s see ourselves as key partners and collaborators working together and contributing meaningfully to the development of this country.”
Traditional rulers’ involvement
Traffickers the world over continue to target women and girls. The vast majority of detected victims of trafficking are for sexual exploitation, whereas others are for forced labour. These things occur in communities, and it takes the diligence of all community members, especially leadership and law enforcement officers, to unravel them. It is the more reason Krontihene of Adjena, an Island community in the Eastern Region, Nana Ayimedu Obrempong, is not taking things lightly at all. A police officer himself, he is rallying traditional rulers to collaborate with security agencies to fight human trafficking.
“I’ve realised one thing: human trafficking is a cross-border crime. If that is the case, then we have to have cross-border orientation so that various traditional leaders in the various countries are brought on board.”
Adding on, he said, “so we looked out for professionals such as health workers, journalists, and lawyers who are in traditional leadership, and we formed a coalition, which encompasses all African traditional leaders, currently we have 53 across Africa.”
Regional body ECOWAS support
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has adopted a cross-border approach to clamp down on the menace. This is because Trafficking in Persons cuts across borders. Head of Trafficking Unit, ECOWAS, Olatunde Olayemi, says there are emerging threats in trafficking.
“The basics of Trafficking, by and large, remain the same, we have domestic trafficking, within national borders of individual countries, there’s more trafficking in children than adults. Then you have cross-border trafficking, which can still be within West Africa. Then we have another dimension, which is outside of Africa.”
“We’ve heard reports of trafficking of males for forced labour, some of these young men sometimes locked up for them to engage in computer scamming. Emerging issues not just last year, we also have trafficking in the context of conflict,” Mr. Olatunde Olayemi added.
EU support to Ghana in combating Human Trafficking
Beyond ECOWAS are some international partners, such as the European Union, which has given a lot of support to Ghana to raise awareness among citizens on Human Trafficking in order to reduce or eliminate it. On the occasion of this year’s commemoration, Head of Sector Governance and Security, EU Delegation to Ghana, Anna Lixi, reaffirms the commitment of the EU to Ghana’s fight against the menace.
“In commemorating UN Day, against Human Trafficking, we join the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection and all donors to reaffirm the new commitment in the fight against human trafficking. We reiterate the importance of our collaboration with the ministry in the final phase of the project against Human Trafficking that we are financing in Ghana and implementing with expertise in France.”
Conclusion
Although the global theme for this year is “Reach every victim of trafficking, leave no one behind, Ghana commemorates the day on the theme, “Ending Human Trafficking, a Collective Responsibility.” This is a call to everyone to be each other’s keepers. To borrow the words of UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, “Together, let us build a world where no one can ever be bought, sold, or exploited.”
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres says human trafficking is a heinous violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms. He said it preys on vulnerability and thrives in times of conflict and instability. In a statement to mark World Day against Human Trafficking, he said that amidst growing inequalities, worsening climate emergencies, and record displacement, more and more people are left vulnerable to traffickers. Yet traffickers continue to operate with impunity because the crime has not received enough attention, a situation which he said must change. The statement calls for redoubling efforts to detect, protect, and support survivors, as well as strengthening law enforcement to bring criminals who commodify human beings to justice. It also encourages countries to do more to help survivors rebuild their lives so that no trafficking victim is left behind.