Ghana Adopts National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking

Abena Annobea Asare, the Head of the Human Trafficking Secretariat at Ghana's Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MoGCSP), announced that the government has adopted a national plan of action against human trafficking. The plan outlines strategic priorities and actions to help Ghana prevent human trafficking activities over the next five years.

Asare made the announcement during a 3-day sensitization program organized by the MoGCSP in collaboration with Expertise France and the Ghana Refugee Board. The purpose of the program was to raise awareness among law enforcement agencies, Ghana Refugee Board staff, and refugees about the risks of human trafficking and irregular migration, and the need to report such cases.

Why this matters: Human trafficking is a serious global issue that affects millions of people, particularly vulnerable populations such as refugees. Ghana's adoption of a national action plan demonstrates the government's commitment to combating this problem and protecting its citizens and residents from exploitation.

Alessandra Bianco, the Protection Expert for Expertise France, emphasized the need for stakeholders to work collaboratively to create a safer and more resilient environment for refugees and combat the surge of human trafficking and irregular migration. Tetteh Padi, the Head of the Ghana Refugee Board, expressed the vulnerability of refugees and thanked the organizers for the workshop, which would educate refugees and asylum seekers on social vices, make them comfortable, and ensure that their rights are upheld.

In a separate statement during a two-day training program in Accra for stakeholders on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) reporting, Asare called on stakeholders to raise awareness on human trafficking to help identify victims, prevent trafficking in persons, punish offenders, and support victims. The training aimed to ensure consistency and compliance with reporting standards and guidelines, as well as to familiarize stakeholders with the structure and format of the TIP reporting template to improve data collection.

Anita Badu, the Director for International Justice Mission West Africa (IJM), urged stakeholders to collaborate and redouble their efforts to end human trafficking. She called on civil society organizations to work with the Government of Ghana to ensure the implementation of the new National Action Plan to eliminate Human Trafficking in the country. "Asare emphasized the need for the training due to low levels of knowledge and inadequacy of response systems in communities for reporting human trafficking cases and protecting children," Badu noted.

The adoption of the national action plan against human trafficking and the sensitization programs conducted by the MoGCSP, Expertise France, and the Ghana Refugee Board demonstrate Ghana's proactive approach to addressing this critical issue. By raising awareness, improving reporting mechanisms, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders, Ghana aims to prevent human trafficking, protect victims, and bring perpetrators to justice.

Key Takeaways

• Ghana adopts a 5-year national action plan to combat human trafficking.
• Awareness programs educate law enforcement, refugees on trafficking risks.
• Stakeholders urged to collaborate and implement the new action plan.
• Training aims to improve TIP reporting and data collection standards.
• Ghana's proactive approach aims to prevent trafficking, protect victims.