Beware of human traffickers – Police warn job seekers

The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service has cautioned job seekers to be mindful of lucrative job offers outside the country.

The Director of the unit, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) William Ayaregah, said some of the offers could be ploys by human traffickers to exploit unsuspecting job seekers and lure them to engage in nefarious activities such as prostitution.

He, therefore, advised job seekers who came across such job opportunities to ascertain their authenticity before going ahead to apply or pursue them.

“Anytime you get an offer, do due diligence. If you are in doubt, get in touch with the police or other law enforcement agencies to do a background check to ascertain whether the offer is credible or not,” he said.

At a sensitisation programme against human trafficking at Mawuli Secondary School in Ho, the Volta Regional capital, DSP Ayaregah stated that there was nothing wrong with people seeking opportunities outside the country, but such persons must ensure that they did not fall into the hands of traffickers, who might end up exploiting them whether in labour, sexual and other forms of exploitation.

The programme was part of the activities to commemorate the 2024 World Day against Trafficking in Persons.

The event was organised by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service in partnership with OUR Rescue, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that works to combat child sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

Other NGOs that supported the event were Engage Now Africa, Challenging Heights, the International Justice Mission (IJM) and Global Freedom Network.

Global issue 

DSP Ayaregah said children represented more than one-third of victims of human trafficking globally, a situation that required efforts by all stakeholders and the public to help fight the menace.

“Human trafficking is a global issue that transcends borders. Cooperation is, therefore, essential to dismantle trafficking networks, share intelligence and provide coordinated responses,” he said

Commitment

The Country Manager of OUR Rescue, Fred Akweter, said human trafficking was a form of modern-day slavery that dehumanised people and also infringed on many fundamental human rights.

He said there were more than 49 million people trapped in modern slavery, a situation which he described as disheartening and heartbreaking.

“These numbers are not just numbers, but we are talking about human beings facing atrocities and going through unimaginable suffering. We must, therefore, join the fight against human trafficking and child sexual exploitation for the sake of humanity,” he said.

Mr Akweter reiterated the commitment of OUR Rescue, an international NGO with a presence in 27 countries, to combat human trafficking and child sexual exploitation and bring relief to victims who have suffered such cruelty.

“OUR Rescue supports law enforcement agencies to rescue children who have trafficked for sexual exploitation and also provide quality aftercare for survivors who have been rescued from such devastating and despicable crime,” he said.

For her part, the Volta Regional Director of the Department of Gender, Thywill Eyra, said victims of human trafficking were treated as slaves with no voice, choice and rights and, therefore, stressed the need to educate people not to fall prey to such criminals.