On 27th August 2024, an interministerial coordination meeting to bolster efforts to combat human trafficking in Sierra Leone was held at the Bintumani Hotel, Freetown. The event brought together key stakeholders to discuss strategies and actions to address the growing challenge of human trafficking in the country and the wider region.
The United States Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Bryan David Hunt, highlighted the importance of coordinated action across the sub-region, stressing the need for involvement from all heads of state. He emphasised that combating human trafficking requires a collective effort involving coordination, dialogue, and the provision of protection services.
Dr. David Okech, representing the University of Georgia, USA, presented the “Freetown Roadmap,” which outlined a consolidated approach to fighting human trafficking. Dr Okech underscored that the fight against trafficking cannot be achieved by the government alone and called for widespread participation from various sectors of society
.
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the Vice President of Sierra Leone, the Minister of Social Welfare, Madam Melrose Kaminty, expressed gratitude to her staff for their relentless efforts in combating human trafficking. She acknowledged the support from the Human Trafficking Research and Outreach Department at the University of Georgia, USA, in hosting the deliberation.
Madam Kaminty noted the significance of the meeting, especially in the context of the successful ECOWAS conference on human trafficking held in 2023. She highlighted the alarming statistic that 28% of global trafficking occurs in Africa, with nearly 40% of trafficked individuals on the continent subjected to forced labour in sectors such as agriculture, mining, and fishing.
The Minister further explained that traffickers often subject victims to gruelling working conditions with little or no pay, often in hazardous environments. She cited the 2021 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the National Age
ncy for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, which revealed that 70-90% of trafficking victims in West Africa are children.
Madam Kaminty concluded by calling for deeper regional coordination and the adoption of good practices to sustain momentum in the fight against human trafficking. She urged using international ministerial frameworks to enhance regional coordination efforts and optimise limited resources to support domestic and regional initiatives against trafficking.
Source: Sierra Leone News Agency
