The fund which was made known by the sector minister is to help the ministry ensure protection and empower the vulnerable by achieving its objective of combating human trafficking.

Speaking at the launch of the “2017 UN Day against Trafficking in Person”, Madam Otiko Afisa Djaba also called on stakeholders to help fight human trafficking and its related activities.

According to her, the activity was lucrative for the traffickers and they will therefore be reluctant to stop the trade.

“As a lucrative business, it is currently the second largest trade in the world after drugs. It fetches billions of dollars to those involved in the trade and therefore they will do all in their power to continue the trade. Globally 60% of victims of trafficking are women, but in Africa and Ghana in particular about 70% of victims of trafficking are children.”

Madam Otiko Djaba also added that, she was also seeking cabinet approval to include victims of human trafficking or their care-takers on the LEAP program to further reduce poverty in families where the prevalence of human trafficking is highest.

“Government has taken a number of initiatives to reduce poverty which is one of the root causes of human trafficking. The LEAP program is one of such interventions that work towards supporting extreme poor households with cash grants to reduce extreme poverty. Hence to discourage families from selling off their children at a pittance for exploitation, we are seeking cabinet approval to include the victims on the LEAP.”

On his part, the Director in charge Of Operations at the Ghana Immigration Service, Chief Superintendent Samuel Basintale Amadu said the service had put enough measures in place to move the country from tier two on the UN Watch List to tier one.

“Between May to date the GIS has rescued about 146 females aged between 17 and 37. Most of these victims have already been united with their families. We also have suspects at various stages in the law court. Surveillance is now extreme at our borders and we continue to monitor the unapproved routes these traffickers are now using.”

By: Felicia Osei/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The report, themed “Enhancing Criminal Accountability and Addressing Challenges in Prosecution Efforts,” is an effort to encourage global efforts to end human slavery around the world.

It includes profiles of 187 countries and territories.

[contextly_sidebar id=”JYGEnb0CZA6MnH3D9E00i2yN7r9xzoes”]Ghana did not meet the full standards to end human trafficking in 2016, but has shown that it is making significant efforts in that direction.

The country completed a written plan of action to end national trafficking, that if successful, would meet the minimum standards to maintain its rank. Therefore, it was granted a waiver that prevents it from being downgraded to Tier 3. If downgraded in next year’s report, it will be subjected to restrictions on U.S. assistance.

The U.S. funds several projects in Ghana to end human trafficking, including the Child Protection Compact (CPC) Partnership signed by former President Mahama and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Gene Cretz.

The Partnership is a multi-year plan to improve Ghana’s current efforts to address child sex trafficking and forced child labor within Ghana. It awarded $5 million in U.S. foreign assistance to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and NGO Free the Slaves to combat forced child labor and child sex trafficking in the Volta, Central, and Greater Accra regions.

But comments from the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Robert Jackson drew attention to more than just financial aid.

“The theme of this year’s report says it all: traffickers must be held criminally accountable. Unless Ghanaians work with law enforcement and the courts to bring traffickers to justice, they will continue to commit these horrific crimes. This isn’t about what the United States wants Ghana to do. It’s about Ghanaian men, women and children who are suffering because traffickers are allowed to violate Ghana’s laws and morality,” the ambassador said.

The annual report also describes the scope of human trafficking in each country, the efforts of each government to end trafficking, and discusses important issues related to human trafficking.

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By: Joy Notoma/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The two pleaded not guilty to the charge and were both granted bail in the sum of GHc70,000.00 with three sureties each, one of which is to be justified by the court presided over by Mrs Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku.

Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Agnes Boafo told the court that the complainants are police officers at Baatsonaa District Police Command, while the victims were Nigerian nationals brought to Ghana by the accused persons.

She said the accused persons, together with another, now at large, are Nigerian nationals who came to Ghana and are lodging at Kormens Hotel, Baatsonaa.

On March 24, at about 1900 hours, the police had information that a group of Nigerian girls were spotted being escorted by some women into a hotel within Baatsonaa for solicitation.

The prosecution said based on intelligence, the police embarked on an operation and arrested the accused persons, and also six other young ladies ages between 21 and 26.

ASP Boafo told the court that the ladies immediately informed the police that they were brought from Nigeria by the accused persons on transit to Germany and Dubai to be employed as house helps, however they were forced by the accused persons to go into soliciting upon their arrival in the country.

She said the police discovered that four of the victims were brought on March 14, and locked up in a hotel room and made to swear an oath to go into solicitation in night clubs in Baatsonaa to pay 555,000.00 Naira equivalents to $2,000.00 dollars to the accused persons.

She said two other victims were brought into the country on March 23, and made to go through the same ritual.
The victim’s complained that they were not given food and water when some of them refused to cooperate to go into the solicitation business.

The prosecution told the court that in their caution statements, the two accused persons denied the offence.

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Source: GNA

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The Minister of Interior, Ambrose Dery, has reminded that Ghana has been on the tier watch list for the past two years, which is an indication of a failure to fight the menace.

[contextly_sidebar id=”xC8wv8rNYNjiDBCEbcFa66d9Ex6WF2mQ”]The Minister was speaking as the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service, took delivery of six vehicles, computers and investigative gadgets from the International Organization of Migration, and the United States Government to assist in the fight against human trafficking.

“Should Ghana be ranked for the third consecutive year on the tier two watch list, Ghana stands to lose support by way of aid and grants to the tune of over $600 million.”

“But more importantly is that, Ghana would have failed to protect its citizens, children and others from the menace of human trafficking. We are therefore working tirelessly and remain committed to improve Ghana’s ranking.”

The United States of America charged Ghana to end modern day slavery, child trafficking and child labour as a prerequisite for a $650 million grant.

According to both the 2014 and 2015 TIP reports issued by the US, Ghana has remained a source, transit, and destination for this trafficking.

The report noted that, the exploitation of Ghanaians was more prevalent than the transnational trafficking of foreign nationals.

Ghana is thus on the tier two watch list by the US largely because there were no trafficking convictions in 2015, while the number of victims identified also decreased.

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By: Anass Seidu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The girls, aged between 14 and 22, were recruited from Kumasi, Togo and Volta North District of the Volta Region.

[contextly_sidebar id=”4QdnC5sGI339YVBSKpRB9CCrc0GA8Ja5″]Police Chief Inspector Philip Arthur, Head of Agona Swedru Divisional Domestic Violence Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, who disclosed this to the media, said the suspects were arrested upon a tip off.

The suspects are Alhaji Ibrahim Imoro 60, Hajia Sward Zakari, and Hajia Zaratu Ibrahim both wives of the suspect, and resident at Yarlewa Zongo, a suburb of Agona Swedru.

Chief Inspector Arthur said the Immigration Service Personnel at Agona West Municipal Office had information that Alhaji Imoro had kept the females in his house.

According to Head of DOVVU, the suspect’s son (name withheld) for security reasons, initially brought 12 females to Swedru and took one of them to an unknown place in Kumasi and left the rest in Agona Swedru.

He said this was not the first time the suspect’s son had brought a group of females to Agona Swedru to be trafficked to Saudi Arabia and other Arab states for odd jobs.

Chief Inspector Arthur said the suspect told the security personnel during interrogation that his son brought the ladies for safe keeping at Agona Swedru.

He said the suspect confessed that his son was in Accra to prepare Ghanaian passports to enable the ladies to travel to their various destinations.

He said two of the girls revealed during the interrogation that, their parents were not aware of their supposed traveling abroad to work, which each could earn them huge dollars as salaries at the end of every month.

Chief Inspector Arthur said nine Togolese females involved in the trafficking, could not identify their hometowns where they were picked from by the suspect.

Chief Inspector Arthur said the 11 girls and three suspects have been transported to the Ghana Immigration Service head Office in Accra for further action.

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GNA

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They are Joy John, a beautician, and Sandra Sunday, a hair stylist. Joy has been charged with human trafficking, while Sandra is facing a charge of abetment of crime.

They have pleaded not guilty, and the Court, presided over by Mrs Ruby Aryeetey, has remanded them into custody.

According to the Court, the accused persons were foreigners, and their current place of abode per the facts of the police was a guest house.

Meanwhile, one the accused persons’ accomplice, known as Mercy, is at large.

DSP C.K. Abandamlora, the prosecutor, said the complainant was a fashion designer residing at Kasoa, while the accused persons resided in Classic Guest House at Nungua-Adegon, in Accra.

In August this year, the Prosecution said Joy went to Nigeria and recruited three of the victims who were about 17, 18 and 20 years old respectively, under the pretext that they were going to work in a restaurant in Ghana.

On arriving in Ghana, the prosecutor said, Joy, however, took the victims to the guesthouse at Nungua-Adegon and sent them out every night to go and engage in prostitution.

According to DSP Abadamlora, the victims were to render account between GHC 100 and GHC150 to the accused each day.

The Prosecution said Sandra abetted the crime when she was tasked by Joy to collect the daily earnings from the victims for nine days when she (Joy) travelled to Nigeria.

When Joy returned from Nigeria, Sandra gave her GHC 500 as proceeds from the victims.

The Prosecution said on November 30, this year, at about 0100 hours, the complainant and her friends who knew the victims in Nigeria saw them at a spot known as Kris berry at Nungua Adegon, and they asked the victim what they were doing there.

The complainant asked the victims to lead her with her friends to their place of abode and Sandra was arrested. She led the Police to arrest Joy but Mercy escaped.

The court differed its judgement and asked the accused to reappear on November 18.

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Source: GNA

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