Ghana Launches Coalition To Fight “Trapped Behind The Scam” Trafficking

Story by Fada Amakye

Ghana has launched a new civil society coalition to fight human trafficking for forced cyber fraud, a crime officials are calling “Trapped Behind the Scam”.

The announcement was made on Thursday, 30th July 2026, during a national online forum to mark the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

The forum was convened by GYAN Ghana, the Democratic Network for Action [DNA], and Transnational Mobility Pathways [TMP]. It ended with the adoption of a Communiqué and the decision to form the Ghana Civil Society Coalition Against Transnational Crime.

Speakers said Ghana is now a country of origin, transit and destination for trafficking. Young people are recruited online with fake job offers, have their passports seized, and are forced to commit cyber fraud from locked compounds.

In the last 18 months, over 100 young Ghanaians were rescued in Ho in January 2026, 28 were repatriated from Côte d’Ivoire in May 2026, 44 were freed in Nigeria in March 2026, and 9 were rescued at Afienya on 21st July 2026.

The Communiqué calls on government to screen all rescued persons as potential victims before prosecution and to apply the non-punishment principle. It also asks banks, mobile money operators and tech platforms to detect scam-linked activity and remove recruitment content.

A key demand is for citizens and corporations to support the UNODC Blue Heart Campaign against human trafficking.

The new Ghana Civil Society Coalition will be a survivor-informed platform to coordinate action. It will be formally launched in Accra on International Youth Day, 12th August 2026, and will work toward West African and African regional coalitions.

Lamberta Bina Abusah of GYAN Ghana said the forum is “a stand taken by young people.”

The forum also sent a warning to youth: _“No legitimate employer takes your passport, charges you to work, or rushes you to travel. If an offer does any of these, it is not a job, it is a trap.”_

A full forum report will be published within three weeks.