Wa, Feb. 26, GNA – The media have been called upon to lead the fight to eradicate all forms of modern slavery from society through continuous sensitisation and education on the menace.
Madam Terence Tienaah, the Upper West Regional Manager of ActionAid Ghana, who made the call, said modern slavery had become “a perpetual ritual in our homes” hence the need for concerted efforts to nib the practice in the bud.
She was speaking at a capacity building workshop for journalists and media practitioners in the Upper West Region under the “Combatting Modern Slavery in Ghana” project, implemented by the ActionAid Ghana.
The three-year project (2020-2023) was being funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).
Representatives from selected decentralised agencies and departments, including the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service and the Department of Children, also attended the workshop on the theme: “Combating Modern Slavery in Ghana: A Shared Responsibility”.
“It is now no longer someone coming to enslave us, we are now enslaving ourselves, even on social media. There is bullying everywhere. People are being enslaved on Facebook, on WhatsApp, on Instagram, everywhere unknowingly,” Madam Tienaah said.
She, therefore, stressed the need for effective stakeholder collaboration to create a more just world and safe society for all “because the chains cannot be seen anymore, the chains are now seen as normal in our society.”
Mr Jeremiah Afako, the Upper West Regional Manager of the Ghana Red Cross Society, who facilitated the training, indicated that globally about 40 million people were enslaved with about 21 million in forced labour, 15 million in forced marriage, and 4 million in sexual exploitation.
He said out of the number 71 per cent were women and 25 per cent were children, while 23 per cent were in Africa.
According to him the agricultural, fishery, mining, manufacturing, domestic work and hotels industries were some of the highly tainted industries with issues of modern slavery.
Mr Afako explained that modern slavery was in the form of forced labour, child labour, human trafficking and unfair contract practice, among others.
Mr James Kuusaana Donkor, a Broadcast Journalist, took the participants through the ethics of journalism, which ought to guide the journalists and media practitioners in reporting on issues of modern slavery.
The participants were also introduced to some legal frameworks in Ghana such as the Children’s Act 1998 (Act 560); the Human Trafficking Act 2005, (Act 694); the Domestic Violence Act 2007 (Act 732); the Labour Act 2003 (Act 651); and the 1992 Constitution among others, which protected the people from all forms of slavery.
GNA