An Executive Committee Member of the Coalition of NGOs Against Child Trafficking (CNAT), Mrs Jacqui Oyimer has called on all stakeholders to unite and work together to fight against child trafficking in the country.
She said this at the Commemoration of UN Day Against Trafficking in Persons (Blue Day).
The UN Day Against Trafficking commemorated under the auspices of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) was on the theme, “Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking ”.
The event brought together stakeholders and students from first and second cycle schools to debate and deliberate on how to stop human trafficking and as well create awareness.
The students debated on whether or not “Sports Can Be An Avenue For Human Trafficking” amongst others.
The Police Depot Junior High School was for the motion while the Tesano 1 Junior High School who were against the motion won.
The Accra Academy Senior High School who also had a debate with Odorgonno Senior High School won the debate over a similar topic.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Director at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Afisah Zakariah underscored the need to create awareness on human trafficking to curb the menace.
She acknowledged the purpose of the event was to create awareness among the public and the youth on the dangers associated with human trafficking.
She also noted that all persons are expected and mandated under regulation 7 of the Human Trafficking legislative instrument to report suspected cases of trafficking in any form.
“The regulation specifically mentions the obligation for the Ministry to educate all classes of people as Ghana is a source, transit and a destination country and we need to increase awareness and community sensitization to address this menace,” Dr Afisah stated.
She noted also that the event was aimed at raising awareness about the risks associated with sports and human trafficking.
According to her, the theme of the event underscores the critical importance of child protection and inclusion.
“Our collective responsibility is to eradicate human trafficking. By educating and advocating, we empower our children and communities to recognize the signs and take preventive action. Let us create a world where every child lives free from fear and exploitation, enjoying their formative years in safety,” she added.
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For her part, an Executive Committee Member of the Coalition of NGOs Against Child Trafficking (CNAT), Mrs Jacqui Oyimer called on all stakeholders to come together to fight against child trafficking.
She noted that as stakeholders continue in the fight against child trafficking in the wake of rising economic conditions, the situation has the potential of putting many children at risk of being trafficked.
Additionally, Mrs Jacqui Oyimer said the coalition has also been confronted with political interference and the inadequate allocation of financial and material resources from the government to the agencies that are working at the forefront to end the problem.
“We call upon the government, law enforcement agencies, and the entire nation to unite in our efforts to protect children. We need to develop a system and rhythm that would propel effective collaboration in operations, data gathering and information sharing,” she stated.
Mrs Jacqui Oyimer urged the continuous proactive enforcement of laws to prevent child trafficking, to prosecute perpetrators, and to provide comprehensive support services for survivors.
She also advised that political actors who seek to use their office to interfere in cases or facilitate trafficking in any form should be exposed and prosecuted without fear or favour.
“We urge the government to continue to increase investment in protection and intervention programs, awareness-raising campaigns, and community-based initiatives to empower children and their families. We urgently need to put restored and appropriate aged survivors at the forefront of this fight,” she stated.
Mrs Jacqui Oyimer continued that,”To this end, we recommend that the government works with Civil Society Organizations and care-homes to develop a comprehensive database of survivors and provide a centralized platform where they can continue to receive psychological and material support for well-being and human trafficking advocacy.”
Debate
Those who were for the topic,”Sports Can Be An Avenue For Human Trafficking”, argued that most people use football or sports as a means to exploit and traffic people, especially children.
They observed that some persons pose as managers and agents and visit football fields to entice young footballers who have the dream of becoming professionals to travel with them to unknown places.
They also observed that under the pretense of taking the young footballers to their dream countries, they end up selling them or trafficking them to their masters.
They therefore underscored the need for the public to be sensitised and be aware of these people who may traffic the children.
On the other hand, those who were against the motion noted how sports have helped people in the country.
They also noted how through these managers or agents, some footballers have travelled and are doing well for themselves and the nation.
They recommended that those who want to pursue football careers do research to ensure they are with persons who will not traffic them.
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