Ghana slips in fight against human trafficking - Report

The report, TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT 2015, claims among other things that “Ghana is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking,” and that “The trafficking of Ghanaians, particularly children, within the country is more prevalent than the transnational trafficking of foreign migrants.”

Of the four available tiers categorizing efforts of 188 countries whose efforts against the modern forms of slavery are captured, Ghana falls in the third of TIER 2 WATCH LIST, representing countries whose governments do not fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act's (TVPA) minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards, among others.

Other candidates in the tier are: Antigua & Barbuda, Bolivia, Botswana, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Cambodia, China, Congo, DR Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Tier 1 represents countries whose governments fully comply with the TVPA minimum standards and include Armenia, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, United Kingdom and United States of America, while tier 3 represents countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so.

Ghana’s present rank also represents a slip in the 2014 rank from Tier 2, meaning the country is failing in its efforts.

The report recommends that the country continue to “investigate and prosecute trafficking offenses— including internal labor and sex trafficking—and convict and punish trafficking offenders.”

Ghana should also designate an Attorney General’s prosecutor in each region to lead the prosecution of human trafficking cases; provide the police’s Anti Human Traffic Unit adequate resources to conduct law enforcement efforts; train law enforcement, child labor inspectors, and social welfare personnel to proactively identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations—such as women in prostitution, migrant workers, and children working in agriculture, mining, fishing, and portering—and refer them to protective services.

The report also recommends the provision of trafficking-specific training for prosecutors and other judicial personnel; adoption of the legislative instrument and fully implement the 2005 Human Trafficking Act; and provide sufficient government funding for protective services to victims.

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Credit: Graphiconline