Accra, Nov. 5, GNA – Mrs Cecelia Abena Dapaah, Caretaker Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, has inaugurated an 18-member Human Trafficking Management Board in Accra.
The Board, established by the Human Trafficking Act of 2005, Act 694, is responsible for coordinating Human Trafficking related issues such as prevention and reduction of human trafficking, rehabilitation and reintegration of trafficked persons and punishment of traffickers.
Inaugurating the Board, Mrs Dapaah said the Human Trafficking Act of 2005 Act 694 implored them to make recommendations for a National Plan of Action against human trafficking, monitor its progress and report to ECOWAS, advise the Minister on policy matters under the Act and assist in the investigations and prosecution of trafficking cases.
“The Board is also to propose and promote strategies to prevent and combat trafficking in persons, liaise with government agencies and organisations to promote the rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of trafficking, prepare guidelines for disbursement of the fund and conduct research on international and regional developments and standards on trafficking in persons and deal with any matter concerned with human trafficking.”
The Caretaker Minister said one of the major activities of the Board was to ensure the full implementation of the Human Trafficking National Plan of Action, which was already ending and needed to be reviewed.
She noted that Ghana was still a source of transit and a destination country for human trafficking.
However, in 2018, Ghana moved from a tier two watch list to a tier two on the US Department of Labour tier ranking due to the hard work of the government and urged the Board to work hard with the Ministry to move to tier one.
Mrs Dapaah said the issues of cross border sex trafficking, labour exploitation, child abuse, child labour and the QNet saga, were all areas that needed to be addressed by the Board, saying there were various streams of irregular migration through unapproved routes leading to human trafficking and sometimes even death.
“The recruitment of young girls to the Gulf States for domestic servitude is also an issue and it is now going to be your duty to ensure that victims are protected and human trafficking incidence are reduced to the lowest minimum.”
Mrs Elizabeth Sackeyfio, Board Member said the Board was grateful for the opportunity to serve, saying it was their firm belief that the duty imposed on them would be handled to the best of their ability.
The Board members include Madam Sarah Adwoa Safo, Madam Abena Annnobea Asare, Madam Soale Lily Fati, Madam Lydia Quarcoo, Mr. Hamidu Adakurugu, Esq., Mr Carl Quist, Mrs Theresa Owusu Ako, Chief Supt. Mike Baah, and Madam Alberta A. Ampofo.
The rest are Mr Frederick Asouah Yankey, Dr Victoria Nyarkoah Sam, Dr Rev. Comfort Asare, Mr Eugene Narh Korletey, Prof. Angela L. Ofori-Atta, Madam Mary Agyekum, Mr Eric Boakye Peasah and Mr Matthew Nyindam.
GNA