USG'S ROLE IN URGING GHANA'S ANTI-TRAFFICKING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ACCRA 002146 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCRM KWMN SMIG PHUM GH SUBJECT: USG'S ROLE IN URGING GHANA'S ANTI-TRAFFICKING LEGISLATION REF: A. STATE 225140 ¶B. ACCRA 2044 -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Legislation prohibiting human trafficking in Ghana has been waiting in the wings for almost three years. In post's continued efforts to encourage passage of this legislation, we do not feel the delay reflects a lack of political will to fight human trafficking. Rather, it reflects bureaucratic and political frictions between the Ministries of Women's and Children's Affairs (MOWAC) and Manpower, Development, and Employment (MMDE). Engagement at higher levels within the GoG is important to encourage the legislation to move along. Post believes it would be useful for the Department to demarche Ambassador Poku in Washington on this issue (suggested talking points in para 6). Post also proposes to host an anti-trafficking conference in early 2005 (after Ghana's presidential and parliamentary elections in December),if funding is available. End summary. -------------- -------------- ANTI-TRAFFICKING LEGISLATION: WHERE IT STANDS NOW -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) After two years of working to draft legislation that would criminalize human trafficking, Ghana's National Task Force has put forth a final draft of the bill to the two lead ministries - the Ministry of Women's and Children's Affairs (MOWAC) and the Ministry of Manpower, Development, and Employment (MMDE) - for their comments. To date, neither ministry has returned the bill with their comments (Note: This is not expected to happen until after the December elections, as many within the GoG, including the Minister for Women's and Children's Affairs, are on the campaign trail). ¶3. (SBU) There is widespread acknowledgement among those who work on the National Task Force (which includes both NGO and GoG representatives) that the delay is mainly due to MOWAC, which has so far refused to turn over the mandate for this legislation to MMDE, a move that was recommended at the last stakeholders' meeting concerning this legislation. In early drafts of the legislation, MOWAC was given the mandate for this legislation, but stakeholders believe that MMDE would see greater prospects for implementation and enforcement of the legislation. MOWAC anticipates that the passage of this legislation is likely to come with material resources attached to it. As a small, underresourced ministry competing with other underresourced ministries, MOWAC views this as a chance to raise its profile and capacity. ¶4. (SBU) Unfortunately, while both ministries have thrown their public support behind anti-trafficking efforts, the lack of agreement over which ministry should have the mandate to implement the bill (if passed) has delayed movement on the legislative front. -------------- WHAT THE USG CAN DO -------------- ¶6. (U) As the elections draw closer and increasingly dominate the GoG's agenda here in Ghana, Post believes that engaging the GoG from Washington would be helpful and requests the Department demarche Ambassador Poku, using the following talking points: (Begin Talking Points) - We are very concerned about the status of human trafficking in Ghana and wish to reiterate our position on the issue of trafficking-in-persons. - As you know, Ghana is one of only two African countries to earn Tier 1 status in this year's Trafficking-in-Persons Report, and is the only country in sub-Saharan Africa on Tier 1 in 2004. - A major reason for Ghana's Tier 1 status is its ongoing effort to draft and pass legislation that would specifically criminalize human trafficking. - We understand that a final draft of anti-trafficking legislation has been submitted to the two lead ministries, the Ministry for Women's and Children's Affairs and the Ministry for Manpower, Development, and Employment. - We also understand that the draft bill will not move forward until these two ministries can agree on which agency should have the mandate to enforce the law should it be passed by Parliament. - Given that Ghana's Tier 1 status depends heavily on the passage of this pending legislation in early 2005, we urge you to work with your colleagues in these two ministries to come to an expeditious agreement on any remaining issues blocking the bill from moving forward for Cabinet's review. (End Talking Points) ¶7. (U) It remains to be seen whether the key, senior interlocutors on this issue - the Ministers of MOWAC and MMDE - will be the same people after December's elections. Soon after the new government convenes, Embassy officials will meet with the two Ministers, the Attorney General, the Speaker of Parliament, and other senior GoG officials and parliamentarians to urge immediate movement on this issue in the new session of Parliament in January. ¶8. (U) Post also proposes hosting a local conference on trafficking in early 2005 that would draw together key stakeholders on this issue in Ghana. Such an event would raise awareness of this issue and help educate parliamentarians who currently do not understand TIP issues. This would provide an opportunity to bring together key interlocutors of the USG and GoG (either personally or via digital video conference) to discuss Ghana's anti-trafficking efforts. Such a conference would be dependent on funding. ¶9. (U) Once the anti-trafficking legislation reaches Parliament, USAID/Ghana Democracy and Governance partners will work to raise awareness among Parliamentarians and civil society at large to the critical issues addressed in the legislation. This would include stakeholder meetings to review the legislation's intent and implications, and provide recommendations to the relevant committee to strengthen the legislation and facilitate its passage. This would also include disseminating issue papers and other research to Parliamentarians and the media to build understanding of the significance of the legislation and the critical role it will play in addressing existing trafficking problems in Ghana. -------------- MEANWHILE, SOME PROGRESS -------------- ¶10. (U) As the mechanics of a law to specifically criminalize trafficking in Ghana continue to be worked out, law enforcement officials are using existing laws to prosecute trafficking and related activities. According to local press reports, in early October, a 62 year-old Dutch national was apprehended by police on pornography charges involving young Ghanaian women. This prosecution was made using exisiting immigration laws, with the allegation that the man had entered the country multiple times with unlawful intent. The suspect appeared in court on October 18, and was remanded until November 1 for further investigation to continue. ¶11. (U) On August 29, Vice President Aliu Mahama opened a conference to discuss the trans-Atlantic slave trade and referred to the "new forms of slavery" that must be addressed. He said the conference should not only examine historical forms of slavery in West Africa but also serve as a point of discussion about the trafficking of women and children to engage in forced and degrading labor in other countries. Mahama stated that Ghana would take a lead role in repatriating Africans in the diaspora who were victims of slavery, through the African Union, NEPAD, and ECOWAS. ¶12. (U) Ongoing projects coordinated by various NGOs - including the International Organization for Migration, the African Center for Human Development, and the International Labor Organization - continue to enjoy GoG support and relative success in sensitizing communities to the problem of child trafficking and in reintegrating some trafficked children to their home communities. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶13. (SBU) GoG and civil society interlocutors concur on the need to combat trafficking in Ghana. The main challenge is breaking the deadlock in the inter-Ministry dispute over ownership of the bill. Engagement with the GoG at senior levels after the December elections should provide an opportunity to make the USG's position even clearer with respect to Ghana's Tier 1 status in 2005. Meanwhile, ongoing USG support has been effectively utilized by NGOs in the absence of a law to assist in enforcement and it appears that Ghanaian officials continue to use existing laws to make prosecutions on trafficking-related crimes. Post looks forward to exploring with the Department possible funding for a TIP conference in January or February 2005 in Accra. End comment. YATES