The Gender Ministry has called on all stakeholders to join the fight against human trafficking and its related issues in the country.

The call by the Ministry's Human Trafficking Department Head, Abena Annobea Asare was in the commemoration of this year’s International Day against trafficking of persons (Blue Day) at Komenda.

She said poverty was no excuse for people to look on for human trafficking to thrive in communities at the peril of the lives of the victims.

Mrs Asare said that human trafficking occurred in different forms and appealed to parents to prioritise their children's protection.

She urged stakeholders to help educate young people against rushing out to chase non-existing employment opportunities outside the country, which mostly ended up being sold into slavery.

The Acting Director of the Department of Children, Florence Ayisi Quartey, said the welfare of children must be considered paramount adding that they must be protected at all times.

 She tasked parents to provide the basic needs of their wards to help reduce the temptation to depend on fraudsters who will eventually traffic them into slavery.

Mrs Quartey also appealed to religious and traditional leaders to support young people struggling to earn a living in their various communities to help curb the situation.

The Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem Municipal Director of Social Welfare and Community Development, Benedicta Aba Mends, who spoke on ‘Combating Human Trafficking in Ghana’, urged parents to educate their wards on the effects of teenage pregnancies.

"Know the movement and activities of your child, advise them on unprotected sex, and also provide their needs," she said.

Abbey Francis, a participant urged the Ministry to establish a coalition of chiefs and heads of clans in various communities against human trafficking to support the efforts of the Ministry in combating the menace.

He also urged parents to pay attention to what their children watch on their phones during this era of Covid-19 as they may be exposed to sexual materials on social media.