US commits $5m to fight child trafficking in Ghana

The US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert Jackson, has announced the commitment of $5 million from the US government to Ghana to fight child trafficking.

Mr Jackson, who pledged US assistance to help Ghana combat the menace said the grant will be given over a period of four years.

He made this known on Thursday June 15 when he paid a courtesy call on the Minister for Information, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid in Accra.

Ghana in the year 2016, was classified as a Tier 2 Watch List country in the Trafficking in Persons (TiP) Report released by the U.S State Department following the government’s inability to demonstrate enough efforts to prevent trafficking, prosecute criminals and protect victims.

The American government had earlier warned that Ghana risks losing millions of money in aid if no effort is taken to address the situation.

Ghana, in 2005, passed the Human Trafficking law, making human trafficking a criminal offense, punishable by at least 5 years imprisonment.

But anti child trafficking organisation, Challenging Heights, which has rescued over 1,500 in the last twelve years, argues that it is rather disappointing that systems and structures put in place by the government to fight trafficking are not encouraging.

The organisation believes that the government must provide the necessary resources for the Human Trafficking Department of the Ghana Police Service, and the Human Trafficking Secretariat of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, to enable them to deal effectively with the issue of human trafficking, particularly in the fishing industry.