More than 2,000 victims of human trafficking were rescued in Ghana in 2025, with the figure nearing 3,000 when cyber-related cases are included, signalling a worrying rise in the crime despite ongoing interventions.
Additionally, global estimates indicate that about 49 million people are living in modern-day slavery, with women and girls forming the majority of identified victims, highlighting the scale of the challenge worldwide.
These figures were revealed by the Head of the Human Trafficking Secretariat at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Abena Anobea Asare, at a capacity-building workshop on combating human trafficking for Members of Parliament held in Accra yesterday, organised by the International Justice Mission.
Data
The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service recorded 77 cases and rescued 285 victims in 2018, of which 231 were children, and secured 18 convictions.
In 2019, there were 102 reported cases, 314 rescued victims, and 13 convictions, while 2020 saw 64 cases, 101 rescues and seven convictions.
Eighty-eight cases were handled in 2021, leading to the rescue of 382 victims, including 271 children, most of whom were reunited with their families, and 10 convictions.
In 2022, 91 cases and 291 rescues were recorded with 10 convictions, while 2023 registered 77 cases, 285 rescues and eight convictions.
Last year was described as a peak year with 127 cases and 1,202 victims rescued by the police alone.
Organised syndicate
Ms Asare said the country remained a source, transit and destination country for trafficking, adding that trafficking typically involved recruitment through deception, transportation and the eventual exploitation of victims for sexual purposes, forced labour or debt bondage.
She said organised syndicates continued to lure Ghanaians with promises of jobs abroad, only to subject them to exploitation or force them into online fraud operations.
She said many rescued victims returned home with physical and psychological trauma, while others faced stigma and pressure that sometimes pushed them to attempt risky migration again.
Ms Asare added that survivors were offered medical care, counselling, skills training and reintegration support, although inadequate shelter space and limited resources remained major constraints.
Four Ps
The Director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service, William Ayarega, said: “One reported case can lead to the rescue of about 200 victims in one location, so the cases may be few but the rescue numbers high.”
“Last year, the numbers were higher compared to previous years.
We also successfully prosecuted a number of perpetrators, some receiving long custodial sentences,” he said, adding that the country had maintained a Tier 2 ranking in the United States Trafficking in Persons Report.
He attributed this to efforts under the “four Ps” — prevention, protection, prosecution and partnership, and said, although resource constraints persisted, “we can do more to eradicate human trafficking.”
Child labour
The Head of the Child Labour Unit at the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment, Esther Ofori Agyemang, said child labour and trafficking were closely linked.
“One out of every five children in Ghana is engaged in child labour, often in hazardous work,” she said, citing agriculture, mining, fishing and street activities as high-risk sectors.
She clarified that while the law allowed light work for children under strict conditions, work that affected schooling, health or development constituted child labour.
“The sad reality is that many children are in school but still engaged in labour after classes, and it affects their performance and well-being,” she said.
The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Human Rights of the Parliament of Ghana, Ernest Yaw Anim, also said trafficking and child labour were serious threats to the dignity and future of citizens, especially women and children.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh