Ministry to establish national database on human trafficking
The Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC) in collaboration with Rescue Foundation, a non-governmental organisation is establishing a national data base on human trafficking to depict the enormity of the problem
The ministry is now administering questionnaires expected to be completed by the end of February, 2010.
Mr. Richard Gaisie, Director in-charge of Policy Planning Monitoring and Evaluation at the Ministry, announced this in a speech read on behalf of the Sector Minister Mrs. Juliana Azumah at the opening session of a day’s annual meeting on the theme “Assessment of Human Trafficking in Ghana: The Overview and the Way Forward”.
Stakeholders attending the meeting included law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, ministries, department and agencies, community-based organisations and NGOs.
Mr. Gaisie noted that human trafficking was a crime that was pervasive and growing in West Africa with the sub region witnessing a dramatic expansion in trafficking in persons.
Ghana, he said had made great strides after passing the Trafficking Act in 20005 including other national legislative interventions, which were the Domestic Violence Act 2007 (Act 732), the Children Act 560 and the Criminal Amendment Code.
Mr. Gaisie explained that despite the interventions, the country still faced the challenges of lack of shelter for rescued victims, inadequate logistics, effective monitoring and evaluation system, effective communication mechanisms for the dissemination of information and collaboration.
“With the many socio economic issues facing the country, human trafficking must be a priority and there should be the need for all to accept magnitude of the problem,” he said.
Mr. Gaisie urged stakeholders to contribute towards the effective establishment and use of the database and fight the canker of human trafficking in the country.
Ms Dyane Epstein, Chief of Mission, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Ghana said despite all the capacity training undertaken to address the issue, the work remained unfinished.
“We should be under no illusion that we have stopped combating human trafficking, be it Ghana or elsewhere in the world,” she added.
Ms. Mimi Areme, Miss Ghana 2009 expressed concern about child trafficking and child labour, which children from eight to 13 years of age were victims and pledged to use her reign to advocate and campaign against human trafficking and child labour.
She urged Ghanaians not close their eyes on this inhuman act of trafficking but joined forces in combating the practice.
Source: GNA