CORRUPTION

International Affairs Forum Fall 2016
culturally-derived form of sexual slavery.
The cultural disposition of people contributes
to the perpetration of certain ill practices that
denigrate liberty, rights, and human dignity. That
position holds true in the context of Trokosi, a
camouflaged form of sexual slavery. It is a type
of slavery that may include single-owner sexual
slavery and ritual slavery. Sometimes, this
ritual slavery is associated with certain religious
practices. In my view, the bondage, indignities,
and denial of freedom that Trokosi girls go
through is nothing short of slavery.
Would you say the legal framework in Ghana
adequately deals with human rights violators
and traffickers?
Like several other West African countries,
Ghana has adopted some legislation to prevent
human trafficking and punish offenders. These
include the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress
and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially
Women and Children (Palermo Protocol),
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(1948), The ILO Abolition of Forced Labour
Convention, The ECOWAS Protocol on
Free Movement of Persons, Residence, and
Establishment, The ECOWAS Declaration on
the Fight against Trafficking in Persons, The
Multilateral Cooperation Agreement to Combat
Child Trafficking in West Africa, and a lot more
international treaties and conventions.
Beyond this, Ghana has gone ahead to develop
a national legal framework in the form of the
Human Trafficking Act, 2005. Its memorandum
introduces the act as “An Act for the prevention,
reduction and punishment of human trafficking,
for the rehabilitation and reintegration of
trafficked persons and for related matters.”
One can confidently say that the legal
framework is a robust one and that when it is
duly implemented and enforced, the menace of
human trafficking will be addressed.
How do you determine victims of human
trafficking in Ghana? Also, how often are
victims rescued in Ghana?
Everyone has the potential to discover a
human trafficking situation. While the victims
may sometimes be kept behind locked doors,
they are often hidden right in front of us: For
example, construction sites, restaurants, elder
care centers, nail salons, agricultural fields, and
hotels. Traffickers’ use of coercion—such as
threats of deportation and harm to the victim
or his or her family members—is so powerful
that even if you reach out to victims, they may
be too fearful to accept your help. Knowing the
indicators of human trafficking and some followup
questions will enable rescuers to act on their
gut feeling that something is wrong and to report
their concerns as appropriate.
While not an exhaustive list, the following offers
some red flags that alert authorities about a
potential trafficking situation:
• Person is living with employer.
• Living conditions are poor.
• Multiple people live in cramped space.
• You are unable to speak to the individual
alone.
• Answers appear to be scripted and rehearsed.
• Employer is holding identity documents.
• Signs of physical abuse appear.
• Person is submissive or fearful.
• Pay is very little or nothing.
• Person is younger than 18 years old and in
prostitution.
Are initiatives being taken by the government
and civil society to curb the incidence of
human trafficking in Ghana?
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