Kecheibi (O/R), July 30, GNA – Mr. Foster Adase-Adjei, the ActionAid Ghana Programme Officer for Volta and Oti Regions, has appealed to Ghanaians to help stop human trafficking since the act is a crime and punishable offence by law.
He said human trafficking is a crime that involves exploitation of women, children and men for a number of purposes including forced labour and sex.
Mr Adase-Adjei made the appeal at the observation of 2022 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons at Kecheibi in the Nkwanta-South Municipality of the Oti Region.
It was organised by ActionAid Ghana, with support from Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation (Norad).
He said the act is a modern-day slavery, which ActionAid Ghana abhorred.
Mr Adase-Adjei said modern day slavery, which manifest in the form of commercial sexual exploitation, child labour trafficking, debt bondage, forced marriage, domestic servitude and forced labour is quite common in Ghana, but unfortunately, received little or no attention.
The Programme Officer said the day was important to raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights.
Mr Adase-Adjei advised the public to be mindful of people who advertised on TV stations promising lucrative jobs in Dubai, Japan, USA, among others as it is a form of human trafficking.
He appealed to the participants to report trafficking to Police or inform the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice or the Department of Social Welfare.
Mr Isaac Adams Amakye, the Nkwanta-South Municipal Director of Social Welfare, said human trafficking, which manifest in the form of recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, trading or receipt of persons within and across national borders is prohibited.
Mr Amakye, who sensitised the participants on the Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694), said a person who contravenes subsection (1) of the Act, commits an offence and liable on summary conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than five years.
Mr Isaac Amankwah, an Assistant Inspector of Ghana Immigration Service said human trafficking is illegal and not acceptable.
He called on them to be patient with the Immigration Officers with their line of work at border posts.
Nana Kanchina IV, the Chief of Kecheibi advised the participants to take discussions at the programme seriously to help curb human trafficking.
Nana Kanchina, who chaired the programme, also admonished them to maintain their children for future development.
There was a procession in town with placards with inscriptions such as, “Human Trafficking is Criminal”, “Take action, be brave, don’t let’s people be slaves”, Human Trafficking is Modern Day Slavery,” among others to mark the day.
World Day Against Trafficking in Person, observe on July 30 every year, is a holiday set aside for the sensitisation of global citizens to the human trafficking pandemic.
GNA