The 15th Annual Review Meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Regional Network of National Focal Institutions against Trafficking in Persons Plus (RNNI-TIP) is underway in Accra.
The three-day programme seeks to review implementation of past years actions plans as well as focus on consolidating the implementation of key decisions on the TIP Plus approach, with working groups held on the Regional Crime Against Persons Protection Policy (RCAPPP).
The meeting would also focus on the feedback and validation of the Regional Referral Mechanism (RRM) document, aimed at strengthening current regional referral frameworks, human security and civil society frameworks.
The ECOWAS Plans of Action to Combat Trafficking was instituted by the ECOWAS TIP Programme in 2007 as a flagship event with main focus on annual
Reporting by Member States (MSs) and comprises a peer review mechanism.
The Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Francisca Oteng -Mensah, speaking at the opening said the issue of human trafficking had been a “canker worm subtly eating away various fabrics of society.”
According to her the greed and insensitivity of a few who were bent on making money at all costs had created imbalances for the victims, adding that all forms of exploitation must end.
The Deputy Minister lamented that despite the numerous debates, academic research and experience sharing on the root causes of human trafficking, irregular migration, child exploitation and abuse the practice still persisted which calls for proactive measures “to nib the cancer in the bud.”
Ms Oteng-Mensah said proponents of this action had tried to use social, cultural, economic justifications and explanations on why this heinous crime persisted against our fellow human beings which should not have been the case.
“But no justification or account can erode the emotional, psychological, and physical trauma that victims of trafficking are left with as various countries incur economic burdens in the bid to prevent human trafficking, protecting victims, as well as prosecuting perpetrators,” she added.
The deputy minister commended the significant strides made by member countries in the fight against human trafficking, and cited the example of Ghana’s second phase of implementation of the National Plan of Action for the Elimination of Human Trafficking in Ghana (2022-2026).
“It has a Standard Operating Procedure to combat human trafficking in Ghana which shapes our referral pathways,” she emphasised.
She urged the participants to openly share their experiences on support for victims of trafficking to facilitate their rescue, referral and care to ensure they heal, recover and thrive.
Ms Pauline Okken of the German Embassy said since migration was viewed as a means of survival, there was the need to help stop the trafficking and exploitation of humans.
She urged the member states to adopt anti -trafficking measures to discourage the practice.
There were solidarity messages from the European Union, the International Center for Migration Policy Development and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
BY LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU
