A two-day capacity-building workshop for law enforcement officials from several security agencies was held in Accra on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, and Thursday, July 10, 2025, as part of a proactive effort to tackle irregular migration and human trafficking.
Officers from the Ghana Police Service, Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Ghana Immigration Service, and other pertinent agencies participated in the training, which was arranged by the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection’s Human Trafficking Secretariat (HTS) in partnership with Our Rescue Ghana.
The program’s goal was to improve interagency cooperation while bolstering frontline officers’ ability to recognize, look into, and react to incidents of irregular migration and human trafficking.
Human trafficking is still one of the most widespread and damaging crimes in the nation, according to Madam Abena Annobea Asare, Head of the Human Trafficking Secretariat, who gave a keynote address on behalf of Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection.
The global theme “Leave No One Behind: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges” emphasizes the necessity of capacity-building programs like this one in order to strengthen law enforcement officials, she noted.
The training is intended to provide cops the skills, information, and empathy they need to spot trafficking signs, break up criminal networks, and protect victims’ rights and dignity, she said.
She added that 1,750 law enforcement officers from the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, EOCO, and the Customs Division had been strengthened by the Ministry throughout the years.
The Head of the HTS also praised the recent successful prosecution of a 32-year-old Nigerian woman from Ghana who was found guilty of several crimes, including human trafficking, and sentenced to more than 25 years in jail in May 2025.
To ensure that justice is not only carried out but also seen to be carried out and that no one is left behind, Madam Abena Annobea Asare advised the officers to let the training act as a catalyst for actual change on the ground.
The Director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department, DSP William Ayiriga, spoke on behalf of the Director-General/CID of the Ghana Police Service and went into detail about the important roles the Police Service still plays in combating human trafficking.
He emphasized that no one institution can prevail on its own and urged participants to capitalize on the combined strengths of all pertinent stakeholders.
Mr. Fred Akweter, the Country Manager of Our Rescue Ghana, expressed support by praising the Ministry and the Human Trafficking Secretariat for their collaboration and leadership in the fight against human trafficking.
He reiterated the group’s dedication to aiding law enforcement in Ghana’s continuous battle against irregular migration and human trafficking.
Basic principles of human trafficking, identifying and investigating trafficking cases, the differences between human trafficking and migrant smuggling, contemporary trends, and the repercussions of these crimes were among the subjects covered for the participants.
Source: newsthemegh.com