Gender minister calls for inter-agency collaboration to combat human trafficking
The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has called for stronger inter-agency collaboration and deeper understanding among stakeholders in the national fight against human trafficking.
Speaking at the opening of a capacity-building workshop for law enforcement officers in Accra, the Minister urged them to break institutional silos and work collectively to protect vulnerable populations, especially women and children.
“No single agency can win this fight alone. Breaking barriers also means building bridges — across institutions, borders and communities.
Together, we must build a system where each rescued individual is treated not just as a case, but as a life given a second chance,” she said.
The minister described human trafficking as one of the most dangerous and destructive crimes globally, which exploits the vulnerabilities of disadvantaged individuals, especially women and children.
She cited poverty, conflict, lack of opportunity and deception as the main tools used by traffickers.
“They abuse power to trap individuals in exploitative conditions.
These victims often remain unheard, unseen and unsupported.
We must dismantle their networks by equipping our officers with the tools, knowledge, and sensitivity needed to detect, investigate and prosecute,” the minister emphasised.
She reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to the global fight against human trafficking to create a Ghana where trafficking was no longer a threat to vulnerable populations.
Workshop
The two-day workshop formed part of a series of activities to mark this year’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, commemorated globally on July 30.
The year’s observance coincides with the 20th anniversary of Ghana’s Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694), and is on the theme: "Leave No One Behind – Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges".
This year’s national theme is: "The Human Trafficking Law at 20: The Journey So Far in Ghana".
The training aimed to equip law enforcement officers with the tools and knowledge needed to identify trafficking victims, disrupt criminal networks, and uphold the rights and dignity of victims and also to detect, investigate, and prosecute human trafficking cases effectively.
The workshop brought together security agencies from the Ghana Police Service (GPS), Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) and social workers, among others.
Commendation
Dr Lartey commended the GPS, GIS, EOCO, Interpol and other agencies for their recent joint operations, which had led to the rescuing of 66 Ghanaians trafficked to Nigeria, 33 West Africans held in Abidjan under false job promises, and the arrest of 35 suspected traffickers and the rescue of over 219 victims from cybercrime and forced labour operations.
“These achievements demonstrate what we can accomplish when we act together. But they also show the scale and sophistication of the trafficking networks we are up against,” she said.
Dr Lartey said over the years, the ministry had partnered various institutions to train 120 judges, 80 social workers, 120 cooperative officers in cocoa-growing areas, 140 civil aviation officers, 52 tourism stakeholders and 400 refugees.
