The government increased victim protection efforts. The government reported identifying and referring to services 944 trafficking victims (including 123 sex trafficking victims and 821 labor trafficking victims) in 2023, compared with identifying and referring 574 victims 2022. The majority of identified victims were children (505). Most identified victims were also Ghanaian (616). Of the 123 foreign national victims, most were Nigerian; other victims identified were from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Vietnam. NGOs identified an additional 145 trafficking victims, including 139 labor trafficking victims and six sex trafficking victims.
Observers noted the government increased interagency coordination on victim protection and its collaboration with civil society. The government continued implementing SOPs to identify trafficking victims and refer them to services, and it developed an abridged, child-friendly version of the procedures to use with child victims. The government trained social workers, service providers, law enforcement, and NGOs on the SOPs. Social workers also had case management SOPs for vulnerable children. District DSW personnel accompanied local law enforcement on anti-trafficking operations and conducted screenings to identify potential victims; however, these teams reported to local governments rather than a centralized government entity. Observers reported decentralization, lack of funding, and poor management impeded the DSW’s effectiveness and sometimes resulted in inadequate and inconsistent treatment of victims. Observers reported additional training for DSW personnel on anti-trafficking laws and victim-centered, trauma-informed interviewing techniques was needed.
The government operated a shelter for adult female trafficking victims and, with an international organization’s support, operated a shelter for child trafficking victims. Two government-run shelters for child abuse victims could accommodate child trafficking victims. Officials could also refer victims to 12 private shelters, including two shelters that could accommodate adult male victims. However, observers reported overall shelter capacity, especially for child trafficking victims and victims in rural areas, remained insufficient. Government services for trafficking victims included shelter, medical care, needs assessments, psycho-social care, education and skills training, interpretation for foreign national victims, assistance obtaining identity documents, registration with the national health service, and assistance during legal proceedings. Through its Human Trafficking Fund (HTF) and DSW, the government expended 2,050,000 Ghanaian cedis ($172,270) for victim services and shelter operations in 2023, a significant increase compared with expending 1,440,000 cedis ($121,010) in 2022. Foreign victims had the same access to care as Ghanaian victims. Foreign victims could seek temporary residency during legal proceedings and, with the Interior Minister’s approval, permanent residency if deemed to be in the victim’s best interest; the government granted residency permits to at least nine victims. The government coordinated with an international organization and foreign governments to repatriate Ghanaian victims identified abroad and foreign victims identified in Ghana.
Due to inconsistent application of victim identification procedures, authorities may have deported some unidentified trafficking victims. Citing security concerns, officials returned more than 1,200 Burkinabe Fulbe asylum-seekers to Burkina Faso (more than 80 percent of whom were women and children) without screening for trafficking indicators; observers reported this likely included Ghanaian Fulbe, who were subjected to discrimination and marginalization, and often lacked access to government services and identity documents. Observers reported officials sometimes falsely registered Ghanaian Fulbe children in birth registrations as Burkina Faso residents, further increasing vulnerability.
Access to victim services was not conditioned on cooperation with law enforcement proceedings. The government, in cooperation with NGOs, provided victim-witness assistance, including legal services, funding for lodging and transportation, and psycho-social support. Victims could provide video or written testimony, and some courts had child-friendly spaces that allowed child victims to testify from a separate room via video. Observers reported some judges set aside consecutive days for trafficking victims’ testimony to reduce revictimization and significantly decrease trial length. Observers noted judges who had received specialized trauma-informed training demonstrated an increased awareness and application of trauma-informed mechanisms. However, officials did not always protect victims’ confidentiality. Law enforcement and protection actors were instructed to separate victims and suspects to avoid re-traumatization; however, law enforcement sometimes brought victims and accused traffickers together when conducting interviews, which placed enormous pressure on victims to change their testimony. The law allowed trafficking victims to obtain restitution; however, the government did not report courts awarded restitution to any victims. Victims could file civil suits against traffickers, but none reportedly did so.
from 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report – U.S. Department of State
2024 Trafficking in Persons Report – United States Department of State
