The Ghana Association of Private Employment Agencies (GHAPEA) has called on government and the security agencies to help flush out illegal migration agencies in the country.
Speaking at a press conference today, Chairman of the association, Alhaj Saeed Shereef said the operations of over 270 illegal migration agencies in the country is posed a threat to citizens who want to genuinely work outside the country.
The chairman added that “these illegal agencies operate with impunity, as you all know, dragging the name of this noble business into disrepute and causing a lot of harm to our dear country Ghana. We hereby plead to the government and all other concerned authorities to help us eliminate these unscrupulous illegal agencies, who are not only causing harm to Ghana’s good reputation but also pushing us out of business.”
He advised potential migrants to contact the Ghana Labour Department to verify the status of the agency before dealing with them.
“We are also appealing to the general public to be wary of those illegal agencies, anybody who intend to immigrate for greener pastures must do so legally through any of the twenty six members of GHAPEA for safe and comfortable migration,”he added
GHAPEA also appealed for intensified media advocacy to sensitize citizens on safe ways of migration
“The media should help us educate the public for them to know the difference between legal and illegal migration. The legal migration which GHAPEA represents and the illegal migration represented by the illegal agents who according to our research findings are now about two hundred and seventy in number,” the Chairman added
Their appeal comes in the wake of various media reports on the alleged abuse of some migrants in the Gulf Region. Both tradition and social media got flooded with pictures, audios and videos of some Ghanaian migrants allegedly subjected to inhuman treatment in the Middle East.
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By: Anass Seidu/citifmonline.com/Ghana