The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has raised concern over the prevalence in illegal travel agents’ activities in the country and cautioned the public to avoid them to stem human trafficking.

The Ministry called on the public to be watchful of and ignore individuals or agents who claimed to be ‘middle or connection men,’ and collected monies from unsuspecting individuals with the pretext of sending them abroad.

The Deputy Gender Minister, Freda Prempeh, made the call when she interacted with the chiefs and people of Yamfo, Tanoso and Afrisipakrom in the Ahafo Region at separate fora on Monday.

The Ministry has intensified community engagements nationwide to sensitise the people on social protection as well as child and women’s rights issues.

Mrs Prempeh, also the Member of Parliament for Tano North, noted that most of those traveling agents trafficked unsuspecting clients abroad and lured them into prostitution, while exposing them to torture and worst forms of human rights abuses.

She expressed regret that many of those victims were young women trapped in other countries and could not trace their way back home.

Mrs Abenaa Asare, the Head of Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence Unit of the Ministry, said some Ghanaians and youth in Africa died annually on the Mediterranean in their attempt to enter Europe.

Though traveling or migrating abroad was part of human life, potential migrants needed to access genuine documents and pass through appropriate routes in order not to be exposed to unnecessary dangers, she noted.

Nana Ansah Adu Baah, the Paramount Chief of Yamfo, commended the Ministry for the community engagements and said it was appropriate and must be sustained.

He expressed gratitude to Mrs Prempeh for her tremendous contribution towards the development of the local communities.

Almost all communities in the Constituency had, in one way or the other, benefited from infrastructural development, he said and commended her for ensuring equitable distribution of resources.