Kete Krachi/Accra – From 8 to 10 January 2020, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) and its Human Trafficking Secretariat (HTS), in coordination with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), facilitated an unprecedented visit of the Human Trafficking Management Board (HTMB) to the Kratchi West District in the Oti Region, an area vulnerable to Trafficking in Person (TIP). The activity brought together Government representatives, civil society organisations, as well as sending and receiving communities.

Visiting the fishing sites on the lake and some adjoining islands allowed the HTMB members to witness the prevalence of child trafficking as well as the living conditions on the islands. During an advocacy and sensitisation forum residents and community leaders from Kete Krachi and surrounding communities were informed about the threats and consequences of child trafficking, as well as preventative measures.

Hon. Freda Prempeh, Deputy Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, said: “I believe that for human trafficking to be reduced to the barest minimum, more of these sensitisation programmes need to be organised to educate ourselves and get closer to the people.”

In 2005, Ghana adopted the Human Trafficking Act to address the challenges, push factors and consequences of trafficking in the country, and to develop effective national protection and prevention strategies. Subsequently, the Human Trafficking Management Board (HTMB) was established to monitor and administer the joint efforts of all agencies engaged in combating TIP. In 2017, the National Plan of Action for the Elimination of Human Trafficking in Ghana (NAP) and the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to Combat Human Trafficking in Ghana, with an emphasis on child trafficking, were adopted.

The HTMB is the statutory body overseeing the implementation of all policy frameworks in Ghana aimed at combatting TIP. It was therefore crucial for the Board to get this first-hand insight into the conditions and dynamics on the ground. The visit further strengthened the collaboration between and the accountability of the various agencies and stakeholders, and the functioning of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) was improved – all to ensure better protection of the human rights of victims of trafficking (VoTs).

Superintendent Mike Baah, Head of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit-Ghana Police Service, in delivering an address on behalf of the HTMB, called for stronger collaboration and partnerships to ensure effective operationalisation of the counter trafficking legal frameworks. He said: “Human trafficking is a lucrative business for traffickers. Many children, men and women here are trapped in this modern-day slavery. Trafficking in any form, such as labour or sexual exploitation, or in any sector, be it agriculture, fishing, mining and or domestic servitude, within our borders or beyond is not acceptable.”

Ministries and stakeholders represented included the Ministries of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Social Welfare and Community Development, and Education, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Ghana National Fire Service, National Commission on Civic Education, Ghana Navy, Krachi West District Assembly, Regional Coordination Council, National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Ghana Police Service and Ghana Immigration Service. Partners such Free the Slaves (FTS) and Partners in Community Development Programme (PACODEP) were also present.

The activity was organised as part of the IOM project “Assisting the Government of Ghana to Combat Child Trafficking” funded by JTIP -the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, US Department of State.

For more information, please contact Victoria Klimova at IOM Ghana, Email: VKLIMOVA@iom.int