A Deputy Attorney-General (AG) and Minister of Justice, Diana Asonaba Dapaah, has deplored the interference of community members in the prosecution of human trafficking cases.

The Deputy AG noted that community members interfered in such cases through lobbying and issuing threats of death.

She was speaking at the National Justice Conference held in Accra on Thursday.

The conference, organised by the International Justice Mission (IJM), an international Human Rights Organisation, was under the theme: "The National Fight Against Human Trafficking; a reflection on the Journey so far."

It brought together Judges, Magistrates, officials from the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Immigration Service, and the Department of Social Welfare among others. It also had some key actors fighting on the frontlines to keep children safe from trafficking.

Madam Dapaah described the issue of human trafficking, a modern-day slavery and transnational crime, as worrying, which ought to be condemned by all. She called for the re-sensitisation of community members to the effects or dangers of human trafficking. Additionally, she said community members needed to be responsive and alert on the activities of perpetrators of human trafficking.

She noted the modes of operations of perpetrators of human trafficking were changing and appealed to stakeholders to re-strategise to nib their activities in the bud.
According to her, developing new technologies and data could be helpful in the fight against human trafficking.

She said it was also important that technologies were developed to identify the hotspots of human trafficking and share intelligence and best practices with stakeholders. Madam Dapaah urged stakeholders to allow accountability to be at the centre of the fight against human trafficking by ensuring that perpetrators faced the law.

"Everyone needs to enjoy freedom devoid of human trafficking. We must also renew our commitment to this course and fight for the freedom and dignity of everyone. Human trafficking should be a thing of the past and same should not be talked about at this time (the year 2024.)"

She commended IJM for its relentless efforts in the fight against human trafficking by providing support to victims of human trafficking. The Deputy AG stressed the need for people to be more empowered economically and abreast of the dangers of engaging in human trafficking.

On her part, the Country Director of IJM, Anita Budu, said her outfit initiated the national conference in 2019 as a hub for peer learning, review and advocating effective strategies to combat trafficking.

"It also serves as a platform to assess our progress in the fight against the scourge, strengthen partnership, ensure that the Ghanaian child is free to learn, play and thrive without the fear of being trafficked.”

According to her, the ultimate goal of IJM was to increase communities' reliance on the public justice system and foster greater confidence in the delivery of justice.

Ms Budu attributed IJM's success to the partnership between government and civil society organisations.

"Our partnership with relevant State actors since 2015, has led to over 300 children being brought to safety and we have provided continued support for their well-being as well as 88 adult victims of cross-border trafficking. There have been 80 convictions."

The Country Director of IJM said over 1,500 persons in the Public Justice Sector had benefitted from training on human trafficking.

"Our team has worked alongside State Attorneys… through virtual hearings, block trials and plea bargaining. A total of four boats have been donated to the Ghana Police Service (Marine Police) to support patrols on the Volta Lake.”

She said work was ongoing to collaborate with partners on in-depth research that would speak about the progress made, and data to support the impact made.

According to Ms Budu, the research would serve as a guide "to where we need to double down on our efforts and lose out on the momentum gained so far".

She mentioned media representation, inadequate resources, and lack of national data on prevalence, reprisals from perpetrators, denials or ignorance of sections of the population on the menace as challenges in the fight against human trafficking.

"Furthermore, there is the challenge of interference from individuals in positions of authority who attempt to influence the work of duty-bearers in bringing culprits to justice."

She said despite the challenges, IJM was unwavering and resolved to partner with the government and other stakeholders to continue to fight human trafficking.

"In the face of these challenges, we affirm our commitment to intensify our efforts in protecting vulnerable children across Ghana.

She appealed to stakeholders to unite in the fight against human trafficking to see it end in Ghana.

IJM works in 18 countries, including Ghana, to protect the most vulnerable by rescuing victims, bringing perpetrators to justice and restoring survivors to safety.