Trafficking in Persons Interim Assessment - Ghana
- Document source:
-
Date:
24 February 2010
[From the introductory text accompanying this report on the U.S. Department of State website: "In most cases, the Interim Assessment is intended to serve as a tool by which to gauge the anti-trafficking progress of countries that may be in danger of slipping a tier in the upcoming June 2010 TIP Report and to give them guidance on how to avoid a Tier 3 ranking. It is a tightly focused progress report, assessing the concrete actions a government has taken to address the key deficiencies highlighted in the June 2009 TIP Report. The Interim Assessment covers actions undertaken between the beginning of May – the cutoff for data covered in the June TIP Report – and November. Readers are requested to refer to the annual TIP Report for an analysis of large-scale efforts and a description of the trafficking problem in each particular country or territory."]
The Government of Ghana has demonstrated steady progress to combat trafficking in persons since the release of the 2009 Report. Ghana increased its law enforcement efforts by prosecuting six trafficking cases and convicting six trafficking offenders, imposing sentences of four to 17 years' imprisonment. Included in these actions was the first conviction for forcing children to labor in the Lake Volta fishing industry. The government is also working with a local NGO to prosecute a trafficking case in the Lake Volta fishing industry. In July 2009, the parliament passed an amendment clarifying and improving the definition of trafficking in the 2005 Human Trafficking Act. There remains a lack of shelter space for sex trafficking victims. In September 2009, the Ghanaian police and Interpol hosted a regional training for law enforcement officials from Anglophone Africa. In August 2009, the president appointed new members to the Human Trafficking Management Board, which had been disbanded during the change in administration. The government took steps to establish four regional anti-trafficking units to manage cases more effectively at the regional level. These units are working with the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs to establish a new fund to provide assistance to trafficking victims.
This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.