The government modestly increased prevention efforts. The government adopted a new 2022-2026 anti-trafficking NAP and accompanying communications strategy and expended 430,000 cedis ($37,390) on its implementation. The Human Trafficking Management Board – the inter-ministerial committee mandated to administer the HTF, advise the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MOGCSP) on anti-trafficking policy, promote prevention efforts, and facilitate the protection and reintegration of trafficking victims – met quarterly. The Human Trafficking Secretariat coordinated anti-trafficking efforts under the MOGCSP, including implementation of the NAP and met regularly with anti-trafficking stakeholders.
The government conducted extensive trainings and public awareness campaigns with government officials, civil society stakeholders, and community leaders, both independently and in collaboration with NGOs and international organizations. The government had a standardized trafficking data collection system in five regions, developed with an international organization’s support; however, the system was not widely used. GPS operated an anti-trafficking tip line. The MOGCSP operated a hotline in English and six local languages for victims of abuse and a mobile application for reporting GBV crimes, including human trafficking; the government identified at least two victims as a result of hotline calls. The government provided anti-trafficking training to labor inspectors. Inspectors identified and removed child victims from exploitative labor situations and referred 46 cases, including suspected trafficking cases, to law enforcement for criminal investigation. However, observers reported insufficient funding, facilities, and transportation impeded labor inspectors’ efforts to identify victims. The government began implementing and training officials on a forced labor training manual for labor inspectors. With support from donors, it also conducted trainings for labor and trade unions, journalists, NGOs, and private sector groups on forced labor indicators.
The government regulated formal labor recruitment and required private employment agencies to register; it also provided optional pre-departure trainings for migrant workers, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations and GIS screened for trafficking indicators. However, despite continued reports of fraudulent labor recruiters exploiting women in domestic servitude abroad, the government did not report investigating any labor recruiters for fraudulent recruitment or revoking agencies’ registration for recruitment violations. The law did not prohibit worker-paid recruitment fees. Informal recruitment agencies continued to operate and facilitate recruitment through informal channels, and some agents used predatory tactics, including high recruitment fees and fraudulent job advertising. The government continued its 2017 ban on labor migration to Gulf states; the policy restricted Ghanaians’ access to safe and legal migration, subsequently increasing their vulnerability to trafficking. The government continued implementing and training government and NGO stakeholders on its 2020 National Labor Migration Policy and 2020-2024 implementation plan; the plan included provisions to prevent labor exploitation and increase Ghanaian embassies’ capacity to assist migrant workers abroad and protect foreign workers in Ghana. The government did not adequately inspect Ghanaian-flagged fishing vessels for indicators of forced labor; while government-appointed monitors inspected some vessels for illegal fishing practices and indicators of forced labor, they were often threatened or bribed to issue false reports. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts. The government provided anti-trafficking training to its troops prior to their deployment as peacekeepers. The government did not report providing anti-trafficking training to its diplomatic personnel.
from 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report – U.S. Department of State
2023 Trafficking in Persons Report – United States Department of State
