Over 1,200 Trafficking Victims Rescued in 2025- CID Boss
The Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Lydia Yaako Donkor, says 1,202 victims were rescued in 2025 alone.
Speaking at the observance of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on Thursday, July 30, 2026, she said the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit at CID Headquarters received 127 cases last year.
Of those, 19 cases were sent to court, and 8 convictions were secured.
Reflecting on 20 years of the Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694), Mrs Donkor noted that while the law has provided a framework for prosecution and victim support, the methods of traffickers continue to evolve.
According to her, perpetrators are now using fake jobs, scholarships, travel opportunities, and other online offers to lure victims.
“Prevention begins with awareness,” the CID boss cautioned.
She urged the public to verify job and travel offers before accepting them and to be wary of opportunities that appear too good to be true.
She also warned citizens never to surrender their passports or important documents to unauthorised persons.
Mrs Donkor further called on parents to monitor their children’s online interactions, and advised young people to be careful of strangers who promise instant jobs, money, travel, or relationships through social media.
She urged anyone who encounters suspicious recruitment, exploitation, or trafficking activity to report it to the Police immediately.
The CID, she added, is strengthening intelligence gathering, cyber investigations, digital forensics, financial investigations, and international cooperation to identify victims and dismantle trafficking networks.
However, Mrs Donkor stressed that law enforcement cannot fight trafficking alone.
“Every citizen can help prevent trafficking by staying informed, looking out for vulnerable people, reporting suspicious activity, and refusing to remain silent when exploitation is suspected,” she said.
She ended with a direct appeal to the public: “Protect yourself and others. Report trafficking. Together, we can make Ghana increasingly hostile to human traffickers.”
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