Sekondi, May 18, GNA - Mrs Sweetie Sowah, Western Regional Director of the Legal Aid Board, on Wednesday said a parent who offered his child for trafficking committed an offence under the Human Trafficking Law, Act 694.

She was speaking at a community puppetry sensitisation programme on the Human Trafficking Law organised by the Department of Children at Sekondi.

Mrs Sowah said the consent of the parent for the trafficking of his child cannot be used as defence against the offence adding; "anybody who provides another person for trafficking commits an offence". Mrs Sowah said an offender of the law was liable on summary conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than five years. She said human trafficking involved the illegal recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, trading and receipt of persons within the country and across national borders. Mrs Sowah said human trafficking including child trafficking was often achieved by the use of threats, force and other forms of coercion; abduction; fraud; deception; abuse of power and exploitation of vulnerable persons.

She said under the law, exploitation included "minimum induced prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation; forced labour or service; slavery; practices similar to slavery; servitude and removal of human organs".

Mrs Sowah said: "Placement for sale, bonded placement, temporary placement and placement for service where exploitation by someone else is the motivating factor constitutes trafficking." She urged people with information about human trafficking to inform the Police, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Department of Social Welfare, Legal Aid Board and other civil society organisations.

Mrs Sowah said those, who failed to inform the Police of human trafficking committed an offence and could be fined and imprisoned for at least 12 months. She said a Police officer, who failed to investigate a report of human trafficking, could be subjected to Police Service Disciplinary procedure.

During open forum, many people said some parents engaged in child trafficking because they could not cater for their large families. They advised married couples to space their birth to help to put a stop to the practice.

They said child bearing was not a competition so parents should bring forth the number children that they could look after.