PLAN trains organisations caring for human trafficking victims
PLAN Ghana, an international non-governmental organisation, has embarked on a project to build the capacity of staff of civil society organisations (CSOs), to enable them to attend to rescued victims of human trafficking.
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The three-year project aims at training the staff of organisations that have shelter for victims of human trafficking in laws related to human trafficking, techniques and methods for psychological support, project management and advocacy strategies, to equip them to give the best of care and protection to the victims.
Funded by the French Government, the project is also being implemented in four other African countries, which are Nigeria, Cameroon, Togo and Benin.
The government of Ghana has two operational shelters for rescued victims of human trafficking and abused persons, while two are currently being renovated. Aside the government’s facilities, some CSOs provide shelter for majority of victims rescued from human trafficking and other forms of violence.
Orientation
Speaking at an orientation workshop to prepare the participants in Accra on Wednesday, the Project Coordinator from Plan Togo, Mrs Melanie Ki Gnandi, said the project was divided into various components, including the capacity-building process.
She said the capacity-building process was to equip staff of the shelters of the various CSOs, to enable them to empower victims to rebuild their confidence, dignity and self-esteem.
She said the project would also assess facilities at the shelters to find their challenges and give them support in the form of tools and equipment to enhance their work.
Funding constraint
The acting Head of Human Trafficking Secretariat of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mrs Victoria Natsu, later told the media that the training was very important to enhance the capacity of the managers and staff of the shelters.
She said most of the shelters, including those operated by the government, lacked professionals to counsel and talk to the victims who had been rescued.
Mrs Natsu said funding was a major constraint to the two shelters operated by the government, and that situation sometimes left the workers with no option but to use their own money to feed the victims.
She also mentioned inadequate staff strength and insecurity of some of the shelters due to their locations.
‘Stop giving children out’
Mrs Natsu advised parents to take responsibility for their children and stop giving their children to people to take care of.
The President of Challenging Heights, Mr James Kofi Annan, who has a shelter for trafficked children, stressed the need for the police to be well resourced to enable them to prosecute perpetrators of human trafficking.
He commended the organisers of the training, saying “it will help us to learn from each other’s experiences and also inform us on the issues we do not know.”