Ghana - In an effort to combat child trafficking in Ghana, IOM, with support from the US Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, has launched a series of trainings on newly developed victim identification and screening protocols.

The protocols and training activities are aimed at helping the Government of Ghana to achieve the objectives of the Child Protection Compact (CPC) Partnership, a multi-year plan jointly developed and signed by the United States and Ghana in 2015.

The CPC Partnership includes a broad range of capacity building activities to improve and expand efforts of the Ghanaian government and civil society to address child sex trafficking and forced child labor within Ghana.

The identification and screening of trafficked persons are the first steps in tackling this human rights abuse and are vital in ensuring that victims are removed from their situation and given access to comprehensive protection and support services.

Identification is the process of determining the status of a person as a victim of trafficking, while screening allows trained social workers to learn more about the victim and his/her medium-and long term needs.

IOM Ghana counter trafficking project manager Alex Billings believes the training sessions are integral in building the capacity of the various government institutions that work directly with child victims of trafficking.

“In the absence of this protocol and training, there is the likelihood that many victims will continue to go unnoticed and be exploited. Identification is the first step in a series of actions that will hopefully lead to more victims identified, removed from trafficking situations, accurately screened and provided with appropriate services,” he said.

Adapted from similar protocols used in other countries, the protocols were developed by members of a Technical Working Group (TWG) representing the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Ghana Police Service (GPS) for the Ministry of Interior, the Department of Social Welfare for the Ministry of Women and Children, the Department of Labor for the Ministry of Employment, and civil society partners. 

IOM consolidated the wealth of knowledge and insight provided by the TWG members into an informative manual and reference guide, complete with useful screening and referral forms, and step-by-step victim-centred rescue procedures.

A total of 12 training sessions have begun in the Central, Volta, and Greater Accra regions and will continue through January 2017. The sessions are expected to reach a total of 378 participants from government institutions with responsibility for identifying and assisting child trafficking victims.

Some of the specific topics covered by the training sessions include the importance of community outreach, recognizing the common indicators of human trafficking, ensuring coordinated multi-agency rescue and removal operations, appropriately interviewing victims, and establishing a referral process that encourages cooperation and coordination across all stakeholders.

At a training session held last week in Prampram, a town just outside of Accra, GPS Superintendent Susana Adjei told the group the biggest challenge police officers face is being able to effectively interview child victims of trafficking. 

“A lot of times the victims have experienced psychological trauma which makes them reluctant to give information. The training has helped us to be more patient with the victim, as well as to be able to refer them to psychologists or counsellors who are professionally trained to handle such cases,” she noted.

As the project continues, IOM will soon work with Ghanaian government agencies to build the skills of social service workers, police, judges and prosecutors in order to provide improved care and services to child survivors. IOM has already completed one set of training sessions on advanced investigation and prosecution techniques for 72 law enforcement officials.

For further information please contact Alex Billings at IOM Ghana, Tel: +233 302 742 930, Email: abillings@iom.int