Migrant Protection & Assistance

Through its Migrant Protection and Assistance Division (MPA), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) works to realize IOM’s commitment to address the needs, as well as promote and uphold the rights of migrants. MPA supports these individuals and communities to access and exercise their rights. It also offers support to governments in carrying out their duties to respect, protect and fulfil these rights, thus contributing to managing migration in line with international standards and practices.  

Activities aim to reduce protection risks of individuals in vulnerable situations, and in particular those who are exposed to abuse, exploitation, violence, neglect and deliberate deprivation. It does so by addressing protection threats and vulnerabilities while increasing the capacities of individuals, their communities as well as those of their duty bearers.  

Protection encompasses all activities aimed at obtaining full respect for the rights of the individual in accordance with the letter and spirit of the relevant bodies of law. Specifically, protection involves activities that seek to directly secure, individual or group rights, as well as activities that aim to create a society in which individual and group rights are recognized and upheld. 

Assistance includes all direct support activities that target individuals and their families, their communities, as well as broader structural level interventions and support to governments as duty bearers. Individual and family assistance can include support to meet immediate, medium or long-term needs including food; shelter and accommodation; healthcare; education and training; employment and/or income generation; family assessments and reunification; counseling; referrals; safe and dignified return and/or sustainable reintegration. 

Return & Reintegration

The ability to voluntarily return and reintegrate back into societies of origin is an important aspect of the migration cycle that needs to be properly managed. Successfully reintegrated migrants can contribute to the development of their communities and their countries. They oftentimes also come back with technical skills gained abroad which could be a valuable community resource.  

The provision of reintegration assistance, including socio-economic support, to migrants in their countries of origin is essential to ensuring the sustainability of return while also contributing to community development. 

IOM contributes to efforts in strengthening the capacity of the government and other national stakeholders in sustainable return and reintegration policies and programmes, with a focus on: respecting the human rights of returnees; enhancing their livelihoods, including through the promotion of green jobs; improving access to essential services; and ensuring the well-being of returnees and their communities, especially in regions with significant out-migration and re-migration.

Counter-Trafficking

Human trafficking remains a scourge that adversely impacts national development through the abuse of fair labour practices. In addition, it leaves indelible psychosocial trauma on victims making it difficult for them to reintegrate into normal social life. The activities of trafficking networks and certain cultural practices akin to slavery continue to negatively impact the migration aspirations of many young people in Ghana, negatively affecting the ability of Ghanaians to reap the development dividend inherent in migration.  

Capacity development to strengthen the policy and operational response to human trafficking is key to ensure that human mobility is well-managed and can contribute to development. IOM Ghana supports the Government of Ghana to consolidate prevention, protection and prosecution mechanisms to: improve access to services for Victims of Trafficking (VoTs); enhance coordination, data exchange and information exchange between key stakeholders; ensure the institutionalization of capacity development tools and mechanisms for law enforcement and social workers; and develop standardized processes for determining the best interests of child VoTs and managing emerging case trends, such as male VoTs.