Adopt holistic approach to combat human trafficking - IOM

Accra, May 26, GNA - Mr Jo Rispoli, Head, Technical Cooperation Department of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), on Tuesday said a holistic approach by law enforcement agencies to combat human trafficking was necessary to eliminate the practice. He said the law enforcement agencies needed to properly coordinate efforts at all levels to ensure that there was no loophole for human traffickers to explore.

Mr Rispoli said this at the opening of a four-day training of trainers' workshop for law enforcement agencies on counter-trafficking and irregular migration in Accra to equip them with knowledge on human trafficking laws as well as explore various ways of identifying national strengths and weaknesses, using international standards and best practices.

It is also to ensure comprehensive implementation of the knowledge and skills training of law enforcement officers into the training of recruits and officers at the level of primary training of security agencies at their colleges.

He said capacity-building was necessary for frontline law enforcement authorities, policy-makers and service providers to effectively combat the practice.

Mr Rispoli said security agencies must adopt a victim-centred approach to build the trust of traffickers to be able to interrogate them and gather enough evidence to ensure that the trafficked persons received justice.

He gave the assurance that IOM would continue to assist its national partners to educate target groups through the mass media on the practice so as not to fall victim to traffickers. Mrs. Joana Osei-Poku, Commissioner of Police and Director General, Welfare, of the Ghana Police Service, said human trafficking was a global problem adding that with the passage of the Human Trafficking Act, it became necessary for law enforcement agencies to cooperate and network to combat the practice.

She Opoku said, even though the law enforcement agencies were faced with inadequate resources, they had been doing their best to eliminate the practice.

The workshop formed part of the global initiatives to combat human trafficking and it was funded by the Danish Embassy.