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ECOWAS meet on
rehabilitation of victims of trafficking
Accra, March 31,
Ghanadot/GNA – The ECOWAS Commissioner of Human Development and
Gender, Dr Adrienne Diop on Monday observed that trafficking in
person exacted a high toll on a victim, physically, emotionally
and psychologically.
In addition, she said, it leads to the loss of opportunity to
develop the life-skills of victims which was essential to a
sustainable livelihood.
Opening a two-day ECOWAS Meeting on the Adoption of the Regional
Policy on the Rehabilitation of Victims of Trafficking in
Persons of West Africa in Accra, she added that the consequences
to the affected society were equally grave and included the
growth and diversification of organized crimes.
Most trafficking groups she noted were likely to get involved in
other types of organized crimes with proceeds from trafficking
in persons.
The activities, she said, included trafficking in drugs,
weapons, smuggling and other fraudulent behaviours.
Experts at the two day meeting would discuss a policy on the
protection and assistance to victims of trafficking in the
region.
Dr Diop said trafficking also posed a major threat to society
including the demographic destabilization of communities as
young people moved out of rural to urban areas.
This, she said, contributed to insecurity and instability as the
next generation of criminals were produced via the process of
trafficking that robbed them of any real opportunities in life.
She mentioned among many other issues the Adoption in 2001 by
heads of states of ECOWAS of the Political Declaration and plan
of Action to Combat Trafficking in 2011 and the collaboration
between West and Central Africa in adopting the Joint Action to
Combat Trafficking in Persons in West and Central Africa in 2006
as some of the measures ECOWAS was taking to combat the scourge.
The importance of care and assistance to victims, the
commissioner said could not be overemphasized in the combat of
trafficking and that to neglect the victims, would be a negation
of the very overarching goals of human security and development
which informed the of ECOWAS in the area of counter trafficking.
Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, UNICEF Representative in Ghana said using a
regional approach and a common strategy when addressing child
trafficking issues in the region had proven beneficial since
2002.
She said regional initiatives still needed to be better
harmonized and coordinated but indicated that the links between
those initiatives remained to be clarified and improved.
“A lack of conceptual clarity remains and there is a need to
better understand the various types of child mobility within the
region to improve the quality and effectives of child
trafficking programmes in West Africa.
The Head of the Technical Cooperation Department of the
International Organization for Migration (IOM), Joseph Rispoli
said protection was also at the core of IOM’s counter approach
and thus many programmes and tools had been developed through
out the world.
For instance he mentioned using the right-based and victim-centred
approaches and called for protection policies needed to be
formulated in the framework of existing regional agreement/plans
of action, namely the 2001 ECOWAS Declaration and Plan of action
as well as the 2006 ECCAS/ECOWAS joint Plan of Action and
Multilateral Cooperation Agreement.
Mr Babacar Ndiaye, Representative, United Nation Office of Drug
and Crime said he was hopeful that the outcome of productive
deliberation would be solid to help achieve goals.
GNA
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