Accra – IOM, the UN Migration Agency in Ghana donated on 21 May equipment to facilitate the use of the Trafficking in Persons Information System (TIPIS) to the Government of Ghana.

The TIPIS aims to collect aggregate and anonymous reporting on human trafficking from district, regional and national levels, and it provides policy makers with accurate information to guide the national counter-trafficking response. 

IOM is piloting the TIPIS in Volta, Greater Accra and Central regions, although the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) plans to implement the system in additional regions in the future. IOM has already provided training to 155 regional and 10 national focal points in target regions to build their capacity to use the TIPIS effectively.

“We all know that the data collection capacity of government officials on the ground greatly depends on the resources available to them. Beyond the items donated by IOM today, more resources need to be allocated to data collection in the future to ensure an effective use of the TIPIS,” said Sylvia Lopez-Ekra, IOM Ghana Chief of Mission.

Ghana is a source, transit and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking. Internal trafficking, especially of children, exists in the country where boys and girls are subjected to forced labour (fishing, domestic service, street hawking, begging, portering, gold mining and agriculture). Ghanaian men, women and children are also trafficked to other African countries such as Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, the Gambia, Nigeria, and Togo while others are recruited to the United States, the Middle East and Europe for forced labour and sex trafficking.

IOM donated a total of USD 17,831 worth of equipment. This includes computers, printers, uninterruptible power supplies, and modems with internet bundles to allow identified focal points to access the online platform.

“In January of this year, I had the opportunity to view the TIPIS and am now confident that it will address important information gaps in human trafficking trends in Ghana, which will strengthen our collective approach to data collection. It will also aid in our reporting obligations nationally, regionally and internationally,” said the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisa Djaba.

The handover ceremony was part of a stakeholder meeting chaired by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection that included a broad range of Government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The TIPIS was developed in consultation with representatives from key government stakeholders, particularly the Human Trafficking Secretariat, who also provided key remarks during the discussion.

The TIPIS was developed as part of the Child Protection Compact (CPC) Partnership between the Governments of Ghana and the United States, with funding from the US Department of State’s Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons. As an implementing partner of the CPC, IOM provides technical support to Government stakeholders responsible for protecting victims of trafficking and prosecuting perpetrators. On 24 April, IOM in partnership with the Governments of Ghana and the US launched the Standard Operating Procedures to Combat Human Trafficking in Ghana, with an emphasis on child trafficking.

For more information please contact Alex Billings at IOM Ghana, Tel: +233 302 742 930, Email: abillings@iom.int