A new civil society coalition aimed at fighting transnational crime and protecting young people from trafficking for forced criminality is set to be launched in Ghana following a national forum on the growing threat of scam-related human trafficking.
The forum brought together representatives from government institutions, the United Nations, civil society groups, survivor networks, technology and financial sectors, academia, the media and youth organisations to discuss the increasing cases of young people being lured into cyber-enabled fraud under force and intimidation.
The Ghana Civil Society Coalition Against Transnational Crime will officially be launched in Accra on International Youth Day, August 12, 2026, and is expected to drive stronger collaboration among organisations working to combat trafficking and related crimes across Ghana, West Africa and Africa.
The forum ended with the adoption of a communiqué outlining commitments for government, private sector actors, civil society organisations and young people to strengthen prevention, victim protection and cross-border cooperation.
The discussions focused on one of the emerging forms of human trafficking where victims are recruited through fake online job opportunities, transported to scam compounds and forced to commit internet fraud.
Participants highlighted that victims were often promised legitimate employment opportunities through platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp and job websites. However, after travelling, many have their passports seized, movement restricted and are forced to meet financial targets under threats and abuse.
GYAN Ghana Co-convener of the forum, Lamberta Bina Abusah, said the issue should not only be viewed through the lens of criminality, but also as a human rights concern affecting vulnerable young people.
“For fifteen years, since young Ghanaians first began to be drawn into online fraud, GYAN Ghana has warned that this was never simply a story of criminal young people. It was a story of young people preyed upon,” she said.
“Today the world calls it ‘Trapped Behind the Scam’, and the young person is no longer only running the scam. Increasingly, they are trafficked and forced to run it.”
She added that the forum represented a collective commitment to protecting young people and ensuring that victims receive the support they need.
Ghana’s growing exposure to the issue was highlighted during the forum, with speakers pointing to several rescue operations recorded within the last eighteen months.
More than 100 young Ghanaians were rescued in Ho in January 2026 after being recruited through social media with false job offers. Twenty-eight others were repatriated from Côte d’Ivoire in May 2026, while 44 were rescued from trafficking camps in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria, in March 2026.
Participants also noted the rescue of nine people and the arrest of 10 suspects at Afienya in July 2026 in an operation linked to a cybercrime hideout.
Speakers stressed the need to properly identify victims instead of treating them only as offenders.
Former INTERPOL Director and Deputy Commissioner of the Botswana Police Service, David Mosetse, explained that trafficking for forced criminality required stronger international cooperation because criminal networks operated across borders.
He said disrupting these networks required collaboration between law enforcement agencies, technology companies, financial institutions and communities.
A key message from the forum was the application of the non-punishment principle, which protects trafficking victims from being punished for crimes they were forced to commit as a direct result of their exploitation.
Clinical psychologist Mrs Ethel Obeng-Treve of Fafanto Psych & Wellness Consult also highlighted the emotional and psychological impact on survivors, stressing the need for proper care and reintegration support.
She said survivors often face stigma and require assistance to rebuild their lives after escaping traumatic experiences.
The forum also called on citizens and corporations worldwide to support the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Blue Heart Campaign against human trafficking.
Among the recommendations adopted were the screening of rescued persons as possible trafficking victims before prosecution or deportation, improved reporting systems for suspicious recruitment activities, stronger monitoring of financial transactions linked to scams, and increased youth education on safe migration.
Participants encouraged young people to be cautious of online job offers, especially those involving unrealistic promises, urgent travel arrangements or requests for payment.
The organisers said the new coalition would continue advocacy, research, awareness creation and partnerships to ensure that young people are protected from becoming victims of organised criminal networks.
The initiative forms part of broader efforts to ensure that the fight against human trafficking places survivors and young people at the centre of solutions.
