Ghana, Accra: United States Ambassador to Ghana Robert Jackson has called for co-ordinated engagement between anti-trafficking civil society organizations and local communities in Ghana to give timely information to the police to fight human trafficking.
Such collaboration is critical because it will mean giving freedom to the more than 100,000 people who are suffering in forced labour and sexual slavery, he says.
Jackson made the call at a national symposium to end child trafficking in the country organized here Thursday by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, in partnership with the Free the Slaves and the Right-to-be-Free, a non-governmental organization (NGO).
He said each sector must play an active role in addressing the issue and that through complementary action; Ghana would be able to maximize its resources and make a stand against the traffickers.
He said that in view of the enormous scale of the human trafficking problem in the country, it was imperative that members of the public played an active role in the fight against the traffickers.
“We need to improve awareness of the ploys traffickers use to lure and capture their victims and that the level of impunity for traffickers both in the country and across the world is not encouraging enough,” he added.
He said survivors of child labour and slavery deserved justice and one way to achieve that was to prosecute the traffickers. “Justice for victims of trafficking means ensuring that they are provided the comprehensive and compassionate care required. They need assistance to reintegrate into their communities and find a pathway to educational, vocational and economic opportunities,” he added.
He urged the government to work with civil society to dedicate resources to build new shelters and improve the care given at the shelters that currently exist.
— BERNAMA-NNN-GNA
