IOM has been asked to lend support to the Ghanaian government in
providing care and assistance to a group of minors rescued from a
brothel in Ghana on 19th January following a police raid.

More than 160 women and girls were taken to an initial shelter
for preliminary screening following the raid on the eve of the
African Cup of Nations tournament being hosted by Ghana. Some of
the women and girls were pregnant and others had babies.

The majority of those interviewed were adults who were not
identified as victims of trafficking and were released by the
police following registration by the Department of Social Welfare
in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs
and other government authorities.

However, 14 girls under the age of 18 and four babies are now
receiving comprehensive care and rehabilitation assistance
including food, clothing, counselling, medical screening and
treatment as well as recreational activities at another
shelter.

A medical team will carry out detailed medical screenings at the
weekend in order to define a comprehensive treatment for the girls
and babies.

Although it is not yet clear how the girls had ended up in the
brothel, most of the women and girls registered from the raid had
come to Accra from various regions in Ghana with their brothers,
sisters, uncles, or other relatives in order to engage in petty
trading, learn a trade, attend school, or seek new opportunities.
Some said they had come to stay with their uncles, but had left
because they were being maltreated.

The operation – the largest ever carried out in Ghana to
protect potential victims of human trafficking – was
undertaken by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana
Police Service in close collaboration with the Ministry of Women
and Children's Affairs. The Ministry has been mandated by the 2005
Ghana Human Trafficking Act to coordinate all efforts among
national taskforce members to prevent and combat human trafficking
in Ghana, including protecting child victims who have been
trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation.

Following the signing of a tripartite agreement with the
Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs and the Department of
Social Welfare, IOM is providing financial and technical assistance
to help support the rehabilitation of the girls and babies at the
centre through IOM's Global Assistance Fund for trafficking
victims, an emergency fund made available by the US Department of
State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM).

For further information, please contact:

Jo Rispoli

IOM Accra

Tel: (233) 21-508-698/9 or 21-518-413/4 

E-mail: "mailto:jrispoli@iom.int">jrispoli@iom.int