Loking at the other side of Ghana 2008

Pg. 17. Jan. 19/08

Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
The other aspect of the Ghana 2008 African Cup of Nations’ tournament, which is likely to affect anti-social vices, such as human trafficking and commercial sex activities must not be glossed over.
For this reason, the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and human rights groups have cautioned parents and guardians to be vigilant in order to prevent their children from falling prey to paedophiles and child traffickers likely to join genuine visitors into the country as football fans during the tournament.
This is in view of the fact that some women and girls among the large number of visitors who will travel to the country for the Ghana 2008 Nation’s Cupls may find themselves here doing things against their will. Some may become victims of forced sex trade while others may be lured by false promises of lucrative temporary work or abducted from their countries.
A release recently signed by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Freeman Tettey, Public Affairs Officer of the unit, said DOVVSU had realised that during such periods all manner of persons, including paedophiles and child traffickers, might troop into the country under the guise of football fans to engage in all forms of child abuse and related offences.
It said the police were at hand and so the public is requested to immediately report suspicious characters to them for immediate action.
Before the 2006 World Cup tournament, media reports predicted that as many as 40,000 women would travel to Germany to work in the sex trade during the tournament.
Consequently, four hotline numbers were run by separate non-governmental organisations (NGOs) during the competition in a bid to offer victims of the trade an escape route from traffickers who frightened women into captivity using violence and blackmail.
Among the crowds, the German Women's Council opened an information stand to boost awareness of human trafficking, just one aspect of an umbrella campaign supported by international NGOs and the European Parliament.
Non-governmental organisations and human rights groups say more needs to be done about the tragic reality of women, often those from poor families and broken homes, who are lured by false promises of lucrative temporary work into the commercial sex business, or abducted from their countries.
The Minority Spokesperson for Women and Children in Parliament, Mrs Juliana Azumah-Mensah, has cautioned parents to be vigilant so that their under-aged girls would not be recruited by unscrupulous people to offer sex to visitors in the country for the African Cup of Nations, writes Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah.
“I call on the law enforcement agencies, human rights activists, and religious bodies to take immediate steps to avert the catastrophe that is looming in our face,” she said.
Mrs Azumah-Mensah, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ho East, said it had come to her notice that some people were alleged to be hiring the services of young girls across the country to provide sexual services during the Ghana 2008 tournament.
“I am absolutely horrified at such a blatant abuse of rights of these innocent young ones,” she said, adding that “these underage girls are innocent and ignorant and are enticed with few dollars by the perpetrators”.
Mrs Azumah-Mensah said it was her belief that international paedophiles and child porn kings who were on the run from their countries had found haven in parts of Africa.
She explained that these people used the Internet and pen pal adverts to perpetrate their activities.
“The Ghana 2008 tournament is another avenue for these predators to perpetrate their dastardly acts with these unfortunate ones with the support and collaboration of some Ghanaians,” she stated.
Mrs Azumah-Mensah said although the tournament had numerous advantages, it might leave in its trail a lot of burden on parents and the country at large if precautionary measures were not taken.
“The youth must be encouraged to resist temptations and say no to such advances,” she said.
The Women’s Commission at Mampong Ashanti Campus of the University of Education, Winneba has also called on all women to exercise extra caution when interacting with their male counterparts, especially on issues that may lead them to sexual promiscuity during the Ghana 2008 African tournament.
The Commission also extends its profound gratitude to the Government and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the tournament for the excellent arrangement made to ensure a successful tournament.
The Commission also commends the organised women’s groups that are solidly supporting and cheering the Black Stars. All these efforts have attracted many sports-loving personalities and supporters into the country.
However, the Commission believes that the vulnerability of the Ghanaian woman regarding ignorance and poverty may lead some of them to engage in social vices that may be detrimental to their health and their families, stressing that “as far as the tournament brings to us joy during the football season, we at the women’s commission are much concerned about how some women may be lured to sell their bodies for money”.
“Some other previous social programmes have led many women to fall prey to sexual abuse, rape and other practices that are against their will. We in the women’s world are much informed that many women are interested in falling in love with foreigners in a bid to secure brighter financial future and to get rich quick,” she said.
The Commission, however, reminds women to be weary of the HIV/ AIDS scourge and also calls on the Ministry of Tourism and Diaspora Relations and the Ghana AIDS Commission to make both male and female condoms available and accessible to people who may need them in order to control the prevalence rate of the HIV pandemic on sustainable basis.
Rebecca Quaicoe Duho writes that the West African Co-ordinator of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Nana Oye Lithur, says it was the duty of the police to ensure that the Ghana 2008 tournament does not become a breeding ground for prostitution and sexual abuse of children.
She said this was the time to enforce the country’s laws on prostitution and sexual abuse, especially by making visitors who were in the country for the tournament to be aware that prostitution and sexual abuse were illegal in the country and would therefore not be tolerated.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic on the likelihood that more women might be lured into prostitution as more tourists were in the country for the three-week tournament, Nana Oye said already Ghana had a high prevalence rate of child prostitution and the situation should not be worsened.
She also called on the Ghana Tourists Board (GTB) to caution hotels, drinking spots and tourist attraction sites to be extra-vigilant, especially in ensuring that no underage person was entertained on their premises.
She mentioned hot-spots such as the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Budumburum, Tema and the beaches, especially the Labadi beach, as some of the places where the police should be extra-vigilant.