Poverty; leading cause of child trafficking in Central Region- Social Welfare

Saltpond (C/R)-Ghana, Nov. 26, GNA – The increasing levels of poverty among the citizenry is the major cause of child trafficking in the Central Region, the Regional Social Welfare Directorate has stated.
The Directorate explained that parents’ inability to provide basic needs such as food, shelter and education, among others for their wards, has resulted in children being exchanged for a pittance in the region.
Madam Monica Siaw, the Regional Director, who revealed this, said the most notorious districts in the region for the act are Gomoa West and Ekumfi.
She, therefore, suggested that a vibrant economic empowerment and social protection interventions be rolled out in the two areas, and in the entire region to improve livelihoods and end poverty.
She was, however, happy that the region in totality had seen significant decline of 12.9 per cent in human trafficking cases as it recorded 105 as of October 31, 2022, compared to 234 recorded in 2021 during the same period.
The Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Acts 694) described Human Trafficking as recruitment, transportation, transferring, harbouring, trading or receipt of persons for the purpose of exploitation within and across national borders.
The major routes in the region, she pointed out, was the sea due to the coastlines.
The perpetrators, she noted, mostly used exploitation of vulnerability, consent giving or receiving payments and benefits to achieve consent, threat, force or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud and deception.
Madam Siaw called on stakeholders to join the fight against human trafficking, especially children, who were the most affected in the country.
She pledged commitment to collaborate with all persons interested in dealing with issues of human trafficking in the region and across the country.