Member of Parliament for the Bole- Bamboi constituency in the Savannah Region, Honourable Yusif Sulemana has called on the appropriate agencies to urgently sanction investigations into matters of human trafficking in the country and have the perpetrators of such acts severely punished.
According to him fishing out the culprit’s involved in such acts and bringing them to book will serve as a deterrent to other individuals and groups engaged in any form of human trafficking.
Making a statement in Parliament on February 2, 2021, during a Parliamentary sitting on the rising acts of human trafficking in Ghana, the two term lawmaker, Hon Yusif Sulemana said it is sad that some health personnel, including nurses and doctors in collaboration with some officials of the Department of Social Welfare will team up to steal and sell new born babies in health facilities.
Hon. Yusif is of the view that severe punishment will help to bring an end to the crime in health facilities and in the country and made reference to Act 2005(694) which he said can be used to curb the menace of human trafficking in Ghana.
Hon. Yusif also called on the state to adopt preventive measures in curtailing the growing incident by fully adopting and implementing the Ghana National Planning Action for the elimination of human trafficking in Ghana as well as empowering bodies such as the Social Welfare and the anti- traffic unit of the Ghana Police Service to be able to fight such crimes.
Baby harvesters busted
On Thursday, January 21, 2021, a joint operation by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Ghana Medical and Dental Council (MDC) has led to the arrest of 11 people suspected to be involved in the harvesting of babies and human trafficking in some health facilities in the Greater Accra Region.
Those arrested comprise two medical doctors, four nurses, two mothers, two social welfare officers and a traditional birth attendant.
The operation also led to the rescue of two baby boys who are four months old and less than a month old who were offered for sale at GH¢30,000 and GH¢28,000 each to undercover investigators.
Growing practice
The Member of Parliament noted that many victims of baby harvesting syndicate are unable to pursue their cases giving the perpetrators a field day to carry out their nefarious activities in some health facilities in the country.
Regulation
The Member of Parliament called for new systems to regulate activities of the Department of Social Welfare.
He again called on government to resource the Department of Social Welfare so that they they will able to identify gabs and challenges that encourages human trafficking in the country.
Source: yagbonradioonline
