108 human trafficking cases investigated in 2022 – Gender Minister
A total of 108 cases of human trafficking were reported and investigated last year, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MOGCSP), Mrs Lariba Zuweira Abudu has stated.
Out of this number, she said 31 cases were prosecuted involving 57 individuals of which 37 were convicted for human trafficking, 10 for child labour and 10 for other related offences.
She added that, individuals found guilty of human trafficking offences would face five to 25 years imprisonment.
Mrs Abudu said this at the media launch of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, dubbed, ‘Blue Day.’
The event organised by the MOGCSP and the European Union, (EU) was on the theme, ‘Ending Human Trafficking: A collective responsibility.’
She asserted that, there had been a lot of significant improvement in terms of prosecution as compared to 2015 and 2017 when they had four convictions.
The minister stated that, the government through her outfit, and in partnership with stakeholders had maintained the country on a level of two global ranking.
This, she said demonstrated how the government was committed to taking measures to end human trafficking.
“It shows how we have proven commitment to the fight against human trafficking yielding greater results in the number of prosecutions gained and the number of victims rescued,” Mrs Abudu added.
Despite these achievements, the minister stressed that, they were still confronted with situations where young girls migrated to the Gulf countries in search of greener pastures, and were being trafficked, molested, abused, and exploited.
She noted that most of these migrants were recruited by unlicensed and unscrupulous recruitment agencies who deceived and coerced them to embark on such journeys.
Speaking on the theme, ‘Ending Human Trafficking; A collective responsibility,’ Professor Angela Ofori-Atta from Human Trafficking Management Boards, said there was the need to join hands together to confront this menace.
She said the ministry needed more funds and logistics to be able to step up its activities of rescue, rehabilitation and do more public education.
“The issue of human trafficking, child labour and other forms of exploitation need our collective responsibility to ensure that we do not sacrifice the lives and futures of our family members for the false promises of economic gain,” she said.
With regards to legislations, Prof. Ofori-Atta said Ghana has enacted the Human Trafficking Act of 2005, Act 694 and its Amendments as well as the passage of the Human Trafficking Prohibition Regulations 2015 (L.I. 2219) which were approved and passed by Parliament to provide guidelines for Act 694.
She said the ministry has also developed the Human Trafficking National Plan of Action (NPA) (2022 to 2026) to support the effective implementation of Act 694 and covers areas of Prevention, Protection, Prosecution and Partnership.
The Chief Director of the ministry, Dr Afisah Zakariah said the purpose of the day was to raise awareness which aimed to increase publicity about the prevalence, nature, the consequences of human trafficking and the devastating impact it has on victims.
“This day is used to mobilise action and encourage collective efforts and resources in prosecuting perpetrators and improving victim protection,” she said.
She said her outfit would continue to advocate for policy change as the ‘Blue Day’ provides a platform to galvanise global solidarity, raise public consciousness, and inspire action against human trafficking.
The Vice President of the Ghana Journalist Association, (GJA), Mrs Linda Asante Agyei said the media would continue to combat human trafficking by raising awareness of the issue and educating the public on the signs of trafficking.
BY AGNES OPOKU SARPONG
