Government has set up the Human Trafficking Fund with seed money of GHC 500,000.00, Mrs Freda Prempeh, the Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection said on Monday.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo committed the amount into the fund, purposely set up to keep the running of the country’s Adult Shelter, established to rescue female victims of human trafficking.

As mandated by the Human Trafficking Act, the Adult Shelter became operationalized in the country in February this year. The children shelter as well is expected to be fully operationalized by the close of the year.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to commemorate the World Day Against Human Trafficking, Mrs Prempeh, who is the Member of Parliament for Tano North Constituency in Ahafo Region, said the nation would need more money in the fund to keep the shelters operationalize.

She said the fund has enabled her ministry to rehabilitate about 35 inmates convicted of human trafficking who have received medical screening, counselling, training, housing, feeding and other support.

The World Day Against Human Trafficking, which falls on July 30, every year, was set aside by the United Nations in 2010 during the adoption of the Global Plan for Action to combat Trafficking in Persons (TIPs).

Celebrated annually to create awareness and intensify advocacy about the dangers of human trafficking, the day is a reminder for governments worldwide to adopt coordinated and consistent measures to combat human trafficking.

Mrs Prempeh said human trafficking remains the worst form of human right abuse as quite often traffic women and girls were abused, raped, tortured, disgraced and reduced to nothing.

Some lose their minds, their dignity and everything they worked for in life to traffickers and exploiters.

Mrs Prempeh expressed regret that many Ghanaian women trafficked to the Middle East have reported of being deceived, overworked, starved, molested, and forced into prostitution.

“Women and girls are also lured to Ghana by the promise of good job and they are coerced into prostitution to pay exorbitant debts, for transportation and lodging. Some perpetrators even force their victims to swear and take oaths during their journeys,” she said.

She admonished young people to strive to work hard, be content with what they have in Ghana, and take their education seriously in order not to fall victim to unsuspecting traffickers.

“Children between 14 and 18 years should embrace the free Senior High School programme, concentrate on their books and pursue higher in education”, Mrs Prempeh advised. GNA