Dignitaries and Participants at the media launch
There have been 37 human trafficking convictions recorded in 2022, the Ministry of Gender Children And Social Protection has announced.
According to the Ministry, the convictions were from a total number of 108 reported cases investigated by the law enforcement officials within the period.
“31 cases were prosecuted involving 57 individuals; 37 convictions gained for human trafficking, 10 for child labour and 10 for other related offenses,” the sector minister, Lariba Zuweira Abudu, said.
The convicts are serving sentences ranging from a fine to jail terms between 5- 25 years.
She made the disclosure at the media launch of the World Day Against Human Trafficking – Blue Day in Accra with support from European Union (EU) and Expertise France.
Globally, July 30, every year is the Blue Day- the day earmarked to raise awareness on human trafficking, promote prevention, support survivors, mobilize action and advocate for policy change.
The 2023 theme for the occasion is, “Ending Human Trafficking: A Collective Responsibility’’.
In a speech read on her behalf, Madam Abudu said the convictions were testament to the government’s resolve to fighting human trafficking.
She, however, noted that the ministry and its agencies are still confronted with a situation where young girls migrate to the Gulf countries in search of greener pastures and are trafficked, molested, abused, and exploited in varied forms.
She also emphasised the fact that, NGOs working in the field of human trafficking should desist from attempting to create replicate government institutions.
“You should understand your role as non-profit-making organization by following the standard operating processes laid down for you to support government agencies achieved set targets and goals,” she added.
She further appealed to corporate bodies, development partners and other stakeholders to contribute to the Human Trafficking Fund to enable the Ministry undertake more interventions.
“By so doing you will be contributing to the global and country efforts to reduce human trafficking activities,” she added.
Member of the Human Trafficking Management Board, Professor Angela Ofori-Atta said the country has children’s and adult shelter for female victims of human trafficking with the adult shelter hosting 240 victims who have been rehabilitated since its operationalisation in 2019.
“3,692 victims of human trafficking have been rescued since 2017. Out of this number 2,322 were children and 1,370 were adults. Majority of victims were engaged in labour related exploitation (2,853) while 351 were in sexual exploitation,” she said.
Prof. Ofori-Atta therefore called for a collective responsibility to ensure that the lives and futures of family members are not sacrificed for the false promise of economic gain.
“Let us together prevent human trafficking, we need to intensify our joint efforts, adapt new strategies to our responses to the changing forms of human trafficking since it is a security threat to every nation and its people,” she said.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri