The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection through the Human Trafficking Secretariat, (HTS), has trained stakeholders on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) reporting in Accra.
The Trafficking in Persons Report is an annual report issued by the United States State Department’s Office since 2001 to monitor and fight Trafficking in Persons.
It ranks governments based on their efforts to acknowledge and combat human trafficking.
The two-day training, supported by the International Justice Mission (IJM), was to sensitise and reorient stakeholders, including law enforcement agencies, social workers and some Government agencies, on issues of human trafficking and how to report effectively.
Ms Abena Annobea Asare, the Head of HTS, said TIP reporting was an international and national obligation, hence, the need for stakeholders to be trained on how to do it effectively.
She said the reporting was among others, essential for policy formulation and to monitor progress on the country’s fight against human trafficking.
Ms Asare noted that some of the organisations “cooked up” figures and data to please their donors which did not represent the real story on the ground.
The Head called on the stakeholders to submit their accurate reports in time for timely collation by the Secretariat.
She said most people wanted to migrate with proper documents, however, they later became victims of exploitation and abuse by deceitful perpetrators.
According to the HTS, the number of human trafficking victims in Ghana increased to 831 in 2021 as compared to 587 the previous year. The number of investigations also increased from 87 in 2020 to 108 in 2021, while prosecutions increased from 13 in 2020 to 22 in 2022.
Ms Asare added that people with the desire to travel to escape from poverty often ended up as victims of human trafficking; most lose their lives, others experienced mental breakdown.
The Head advised the public to be extra vigilant in all their dealings with each other.
“… When we see people wearing winter jackets, we think they have made but it is their way to convince us to fall prey to their tactics, we need to be careful of these people,” she stated.
Ms Anita Budu, Director, International Justice Mission (IJM), West Africa, noted that the collaborative efforts of stakeholders over the years in tackling trafficking issues seemed to be yielding positive results.
However, she underscored the need for increased efforts and continued collaboration to eliminate the menace.
Ms Budu said about 38 per cent of children among those interviewed in a commissioned research by IJM Ghana in three fishing districts around Volta Lake in 2022, were likely victims of human trafficking and an additional 45 per cent were engaged in likely exploitative child labour.
She said the reduction of the figure signified the decrease in the prevalence rate compared to the previous findings from the same area in 2013 which had a prevalence rate of about 58 per cent, however, there was more to be done.
“This is not a problem anyone can solve alone. We look forward to collaborating with government and other Civil Society Organisations (CSOS) to conduct wider and more in-depth research in the near future to help us gauge the impact of our work in ending human trafficking in Ghana,” she stated.
Ms Budu reiterated IJM Ghana’s commitment to collaborate with the Government and all stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the new National Plan of Action for the elimination of Human Trafficking in Ghana.
The Director commended the Gender Ministry through the Human Trafficking Secretariat for organising the training which was key in helping the country to report reliable data to craft relevant policy interventions.
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