Ghana’s commitment to combating human trafficking has yielded positive results, as the country has maintained its position on the tier two global ranking for human trafficking.
The Deputy Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Madam Francisca Oteng Mensah, announced this at the media launch of the World Day Against Human Trafficking in Accra on Tuesday.
Madam Oteng Mensah highlighted that the Ministry coordinates all activities related to human trafficking in Ghana, employing legal, legislative, and operational measures to uphold gender equality and equity in personal status and civil rights.
She commended the efforts of the human trafficking management board and various anti-human trafficking units within the Ghana Police Service, Economic and Organized Crime Office, Attorney General‘s Department, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, and Ghana Immigration Service for their contributions in combating human trafficking.
The Minister emphasized the significant improvement in coordination and rapid response to human trafficking issues through the active involvement of the vibrant human trafficking management board.
She called on corporate bodies, development partners, and stakeholders to contribute to the Human Trafficking Fund, enabling the Ministry to undertake more interventions.
Professor Angela Ofori-Atta, a member of the Human Trafficking Management Board, shared that over the past five years, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has provided training to 798 law enforcement officers, 230 judges from various courts, and 107 social workers.
Additionally, they have printed over 12,000 Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials to raise public awareness about human trafficking.
The World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, also known as “Blue Day,” is observed on July 30th each year. This year’s theme is “Ending Human Trafficking: A collective responsibility.” The day serves as an opportunity to raise awareness about the issue of human trafficking.
