Government urged to protect trafficking victims forced into online scams

A coalition of civil society organisations has announced plans to establish the Ghana Civil Society Coalition Against Transnational Crime, aimed at strengthening the country’s response to human trafficking for forced criminality and protecting young people increasingly targeted by international scam syndicates.

The announcement was made at a national online forum held on Thursday, July 30, to commemorate the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, under the global theme, “Trapped Behind the Scam.”

The forum, convened by GYAN Ghana, the Democratic Network for Action (DNA) and Transnational Mobility Pathways (TMP), brought together representatives from government institutions, the United Nations, regional organisations, civil society, academia, the media, financial and technology sectors, as well as survivor networks and youth groups.

Participants adopted a communiqué calling for urgent action to tackle trafficking for forced criminality — a growing form of human trafficking in which victims are recruited through fake online job offers, transported across borders and coerced into committing cyber-enabled fraud.

The coalition is expected to be formally launched in Accra on International Youth Day on August 12, 2026, and will work towards establishing similar platforms across West Africa and the continent.

The communiqué notes that Ghana has increasingly become a country of origin, transit and destination for trafficking linked to online scam operations.

It cited a series of recent incidents, including the rescue of more than 100 young Ghanaians in Ho in January 2026 after they were recruited through social media; the repatriation of 28 Ghanaians from Côte d’Ivoire in May; the rescue of 44 Ghanaians from trafficking camps in Nigeria’s Akwa Ibom State in March; and the rescue of nine victims, alongside the arrest of 10 suspects, at Afienya on July 21.

Participants warned that many victims are educated, English-speaking and digitally literate young people who are lured abroad with promises of lucrative jobs before being trapped in compounds, stripped of their passports and forced to perpetrate online fraud under threats and violence.

A major concern raised during the forum was what organisers described as the victim-offender overlap, where trafficked persons compelled to engage in online scams are often arrested, prosecuted or deported without first being recognised as victims of trafficking.

The communiqué urged Ghanaian authorities to ensure that every individual rescued from or returned from scam compounds is screened as a potential trafficking victim before any criminal charges or deportation proceedings are initiated.

It also called for law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and immigration officials to fully apply the non-punishment principle, provide legal assistance to victims, and create avenues for clearing the criminal records of those wrongly convicted while under coercion.

Participants further appealed for increased investment in shelters, trauma-informed counselling and reintegration programmes to prevent survivors from falling victim to trafficking again.

The forum called on the Cyber Security Authority to simplify the reporting of suspicious online recruitment schemes and work closely with digital platforms and telecommunications companies to identify and remove fraudulent recruitment content.

It also urged the Financial Intelligence Centre, banks and mobile money providers to treat suspicious financial transactions linked to scam operations as possible indicators of human trafficking and collaborate with law enforcement to trace criminal proceeds while protecting coerced account holders.

The communiqué further appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strengthen consular support and assisted-return arrangements for Ghanaians trapped in scam compounds abroad.

At the regional level, participants called for stronger intelligence-sharing and joint investigations through ECOWAS and INTERPOL to dismantle transnational trafficking networks.

Speakers stressed that prevention campaigns must focus on young people, particularly on the digital platforms where traffickers recruit their victims.

Among the key public messages adopted at the forum was a simple warning for job seekers: “No legitimate employer takes your passport, charges you to work, or rushes you to travel. If an offer does any of these, it is not a job—it is a trap.”

The communiqué also encouraged universities, youth groups and content creators to establish peer-led awareness campaigns to help young people verify employment opportunities and recognise trafficking risks before travelling.

Speaking during the forum, Lamberta Bina Abusah, co-convener of the event on behalf of GYAN Ghana, said the initiative reflects years of advocacy to change perceptions about young people caught in online scam networks.

“For fifteen years, since young Ghanaians first began to be drawn into online fraud, GYAN Ghana has warned that this was never simply a story of criminal young people—it was a story of young people preyed upon,” she said.

She noted that while the problem is now globally recognised under the theme “Trapped Behind the Scam,” increasing numbers of victims are themselves being trafficked and forced into cybercrime.

“Our communiqué is a set of commitments we intend to carry to those with the power to act,” she added.

Organisers also used the occasion to call on citizens, businesses and governments worldwide to support the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s Blue Heart Campaign against human trafficking by raising awareness, supporting survivors and strengthening global efforts to combat the crime.

The communiqué and recommendations adopted at the forum will be submitted to relevant state institutions, while a report and edited recording of the event are expected to be published within the next three weeks.