GHANA TIGHTENS DEFINITION OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING

UNCLAS ACCRA 000700 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM KTIP XY XA GH SUBJECT: GHANA TIGHTENS DEFINITION OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING ¶1. (U) Ghana Parliament passed a bill to amend the definition of trafficking included in the 2005 Human Trafficking Act. The amendment added the phrase "for the purpose of exploitation" to ensure that the Ghanaian definition of human trafficking is in accord with the definition contained in the Protocol of the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime. ¶2. (U) In addition, the amendment ensures that a person such as an employment agent who for a fee recruits others for work either within or outside the country does not commit an offense if that person offers incentives as an inducement for employment. Parliament recognized that the intention of the Act is not to make offenders out of persons doing a legitimate business recruiting persons for normal employment. ¶3. (U) The Human Trafficking (Amendment) Bill was one of two bills passed by Parliament in the eight week session that concluded on July 17. Parliament will reconvene on October 20. TEITELBAUM