“Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed “(Psalm 82:3). We are being instructed in this verse to defend the weak and unfortunate and to instill a sense of humanity in us so that we can intercede for the destitute around us.
Human trafficking also known as trafficking in-persons is a form of modern slavery that deals with the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, or receipt of persons—by force, coercion, fraud, or some other form of deception—for the purpose of exploitation.
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) human trafficking is the fastest-growing organized crime with approximately $150 billion in annual profits. It also traps 40.3 million individuals in slave-like conditions.
The subject of human trafficking is very popular in our part of the world as Ghana is the source, transit, and transport country for human trafficking.
This suggests that human trafficking may originate in the country, meaning trafficking victims are either trafficked within their home countries or taken from their home countries and sent elsewhere to provide trafficking services.
The transit country also implies that the country is an operational point with the criminal infrastructure to facilitate illegal movement (entry and exit) to reach a destination country where the victim will ultimately be subjected to sexual exploitation or forced labour.
The transport country also explains that the country is a major hub for human trafficking transportation, as traffickers often rely on the country’s transportation system to recruit, move, or transfer victims.
Furthermore a U.S. Department report on 2022 trafficking in persons report: Ghana stated that the country remains on tier 2 as a result of the government prosecuting fewer alleged traffickers. It also continued its 2017 ban on labor migration to Gulf States, which increased trafficking vulnerability.
With respect to the ban, the government in 2017 banned such recruitment activities as part of efforts to sanitize the sector. This was as reports of Ghanaian workers suffering abuse in these countries increased. And this was due to reports of maltreatment meted out to Ghanaian workers in the Gulf States.
Also, the US report indicated that the government did not hold fraudulent recruiters responsible despite reports of them exploiting Ghanaian victims abroad.
“A lack of adequate resources for law enforcement continued to hinder investigations and prosecutions, and shelter capacity for all victims remained insufficient. The government did not adequately address corruption in trafficking crimes, and it did not amend the anti-trafficking act regulations to remove the option of a fine in lieu of imprisonment in cases where the trafficker was a parent or guardian of a child victim” the report suggested.
This contributes to Ghana being on the tier 2 watch list for human trafficking. The tier 2 watch list includes countries whose governments do not fully meet the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to meet those standards.
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, or TVPA, on the other hand is a framework to identify and help individuals who experience trafficking. The minimum standards for trafficking elimination are applicable to the government of a country of origin, transit, or destination for victims of severe forms of trafficking.
The standards expect that (1) the country’s government should prohibit severe forms of trafficking and punish acts of trafficking.
(2) For the knowing commission of any act of sex trafficking involving force, fraud, coercion, or in which the victim of sex trafficking is a child incapable of giving meaningful consent, or of trafficking which includes rape or kidnapping or which causes a death, the government of the country should prescribe punishment commensurate with that for grave crimes, such as forcible sexual assault.
(3) For the knowing commission of any act of a severe form of trafficking in persons, the government of the country should prescribe punishment that is sufficiently stringent to deter. This punishment adequately reflects the heinous nature of the offense. (4) The country’s government should make serious and sustained efforts to eliminate severe forms of person trafficking.
Increase In Cases
According to the Human Trafficking Secretariat of the Gender Ministry, Children and Social Protection, the number of human trafficking cases increased to 831 in 2021 as compared to 587 in 2020. The data further revealed that investigations also increased from 87 in 2020 to 108 in 2021. In addition, prosecutions increased from 13 in 2020 to 22 in 2021.
According to the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) based on 155 countries, the most common form of human trafficking (79%) is sexual exploitation. Sexual exploitation victims are predominantly women and girls.
Human trafficking is caused by forced labour (18%). Almost 20% of trafficking victims are children. However, in some parts of Africa and the Mekong region, children are the majority (up to 100% in West Africa).
Government Interventions
The government of Ghana on various public platforms has called on the non-governmental organization to collaborate with State agencies to combat human trafficking in the country.
In an effort to curtail the menace, the Ghanaian Police partnered with Interpol to host regional training for law enforcement officials from Anglophone Africa.
The government established four regional anti-trafficking units to manage cases more effectively at the regional level.
The government has demonstrated improved anti-human trafficking law enforcement efforts in prohibiting all forms of trafficking through its 2005 Human Trafficking Act (HTA), which prescribes a minimum penalty of five years imprisonment for all forms of trafficking.
This penalty is sufficiently severe and commensurate with penalties prescribed for other serious offenses, such as rape.
The government continued to operate dedicated trafficking shelters for victims of forced labor – in Osu and Medina in the Greater Accra Region, and in the Atebubu Amant District Assembly in the Brong Ahafo region – but lacked shelter facilities for victims of sexual trafficking. The government provided an unknown amount of funding for these shelters.
NGO’s Contribution
At Engage Now Africa, Regional Director, Anti-Human Trafficking, Afasi Kombla, reveals that the organization conducts its human trafficking operations mostly in the fishing community including areas such as the Volta Lake, and Ningo-Prampam among others.
The government, he said, is required to facilitate and coordinate with NGOs in the private sector to rescue victims. It adds that collaboration will increase the number of shelters for victims.
The government must collaborate with NGOs to combat this ordeal in the country to address the root cause of trafficking.
Mr. Kombla advocated for an increase in funding support for trafficking victims’ service programmes adding, effective public awareness and outreach programmes can lead to the detection of human trafficking cases build public support for governments and communities to act, and ultimately help prevent human trafficking.
“Till many of our people don’t know that transporting a child from the village to the city for intensive house helping duties with or without the parents’ content is against the Paloma protocol”.
He emphasized that, “you can engage a 13-year-old in small household chores, 15 years the person can work but not with heavy work.” Ghana has a lot of work to do by creating the needed awareness to educate people on the devastating effects of trafficking to this country”.
Anti- Human Trafficking Day
This years awareness day slated on 30 July themed “Reach every victim of trafficking, leave no one behind” seek to amplify the campaign to raise awareness of disturbing developments and trends identified by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
It also calls on governments, law enforcement, public services, and civil society to assess and enhance their efforts to strengthen prevention, identify and support victims, and end impunity.
By Prince Fiifi Yorke