By Eric Appah Marfo
Accra, Aug. 14, GNA – Togbe Adze II, Dufia of Fodome Agbesia in the Volta Region, has cautioned young Ghanaians against deceptive job offers used by traffickers to lure victims into forced labour and criminal activities.
He said job seekers should be wary of offers involving the confiscation of passports, recruitment fees or sudden travel arrangements.
“A real employer will never confiscate your passport; a real employer will never charge you a fee to be hired; and a real employer will never require you to travel overnight without notice”, Togbe Adze II said on Wednesday at the national launch of the Civil Society Coalition Against Transnational Organised Crime, Ghana.
The launch, held on the theme: “United Against Transnational Crime: A Civil Society Agenda for Ghana and West Africa,” seeks to unite civil society organisations in coordinated efforts to combat transnational organised crime.
The areas of concern include human trafficking, cybercrime, illicit financial activities, environmental crime, drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, maritime crime, extremism and corruption.
Togbe Adze II said traffickers had become increasingly sophisticated in identifying and exploiting young people at vulnerable moments, including after job rejections, family emergencies and prolonged unemployment.
“I will not tell you to be less ambitious. Your ambition is not the problem; it is this country’s greatest asset. If we had more opportunities to offer you, fewer of you would be boarding those buses,” he said.
He said trafficking survivors often faced suspicion and stigma upon returning to their communities, making it difficult for them to disclose how they were recruited or help prevent others from becoming victims.
The traditional leader urged chiefs, queen mothers, religious leaders and other community elders to support survivors rather than ostracise them.
“A young person who is ostracised upon their return does not become a better citizen; they become unreachable,” he said.
Togbe Adze II also urged coalition members to work closely with traditional authorities, saying communities had valuable information on missing persons, recruitment patterns and unexplained movements of young people.
He called for an integrated healthcare pathway for trafficking survivors, noting that some returned with untreated medical conditions, malnutrition, sleep deprivation and physical injuries.
Chief Superintendent Alberta Ankrah, Head of the Anti-Human Smuggling and Trafficking in Persons Section of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), said law enforcement agencies must look beyond the immediate offence to determine whether a person involved in a criminal operation was actually a trafficking victim.
She said trafficking involved three key elements: the act, the means used and the purpose of exploitation, and could occur both within Ghana and across borders.
Chief Supt. Ankrah said the GIS, in collaboration with other stakeholders, had rescued more than 400 victims through its operations, while 10 human trafficking cases had resulted in convictions within the first six months of the year.
She said trafficking victims could be subjected to sexual exploitation or forced labour in sectors including mining, cocoa and fishing.
Chief Supt. Ankrah warned that deceptive recruitment was also being facilitated through social media and fraudulent travel arrangements, with some Ghanaians lured to countries including Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire under the pretext of securing visas or employment.
She said some Ghanaians had also been trafficked to Cambodia in connection with cyber scams.
“Anybody at all can be trafficked. Trafficking is not only about the ignorant ones,” she said, urging the public to verify employment and travel opportunities before committing themselves.
The GIS official encouraged the public to adopt a “see something, say something” approach by reporting suspected trafficking activities to law enforcement agencies.
She said combating trafficking required sustained collaboration among law enforcement agencies, civil society organisations, traditional authorities, communities and international partners.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Eric Appah Marfo