Audio By Carbonatix
Sports journalists have been urged to exercise due diligence in their work to help combat the growing menace of human trafficking within the sports sector.
The call was made by the Director of the Human Trafficking Secretariat at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Abena Annobea Asare, during a media training session held on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, at the IOM Head Office, 9 Volta Street, Airport Residential Area, Accra.
The training, organised as part of efforts to address human trafficking in Ghana, brought together sports journalists and key stakeholders to deepen their understanding of trafficking trends and promote responsible reporting.
According to Madam Asare, many young athletes fall victim to trafficking through deceptive offers of opportunities to play professional sports abroad.
“These traffickers often present attractive opportunities, but victims end up being exploited in various forms, including forced labour and sexual exploitation,” she explained.
She noted that trafficking is not limited to international movement but also occurs within countries, making it a widespread issue that requires collective action.
Madam Asare further highlighted that trafficking thrives on misinformation, trust, and the desire for better opportunities, particularly among the youth.
She emphasised that Ghana has established legal and institutional frameworks, including the Human Trafficking Act, to address the issue through prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnership.
The Director also cautioned media professionals against unknowingly promoting fraudulent schemes through unverified advertisements.
“Journalists must be careful not to become channels through which traffickers reach unsuspecting victims,” she added.
Participants were also taken through emerging trends such as cyber-enabled recruitment scams, where traffickers use digital platforms to lure victims with false promises.
The training forms part of a broader initiative aimed at strengthening awareness and enhancing the capacity of media practitioners to report accurately on trafficking in sports.
Latest Stories
-
Poor maintenance, not poor engineering alone, is driving Accra’s flooding – Engineer
1 minute -
BoG calls for industry-wide system to fight fraud across banks, fintechs and mobile money platforms
3 minutes -
Flood-damaged Aflao Market road prompts temporary intervention as calls grow for permanent fix
15 minutes -
Recurring floods expose growing humanitarian crisis in Agbozume as hundreds receive emergency relief
21 minutes -
Margins delivers first GAM ID – President Barrow is inaugural recipient
31 minutes -
Drug Abuse and Ghana’s Human Security Crisis: The silent destruction of a generation’s potential
57 minutes -
Floods ravaged Ghana could generate GH¢556 in economic benefits for every GH¢1 invested in sanitation
1 hour -
Digital payments can formalise Ghana’s informal economy, but fraud threatens uptake – Economist
1 hour -
Gov’t pays $700m Eurobond bill ahead of schedule, total hits $2.1bn
1 hour -
‘Suspend it now’ – FABAG appeals directly to Mahama to halt new import verification programme
2 hours -
Gov’t cannot talk ease of doing business while adding more costs – FABAG rejects Ghana Easy Pass
2 hours -
You cannot threaten people into silence about their own history
2 hours -
‘This is another tax by another name’ – FABAG warns new import rules will push up prices
2 hours -
BoG injects $2.01bn into forex market as cedi records first monthly gain of 2026
2 hours -
Ghana congratulates U.S. on 250th Independence Anniversary
2 hours