US embassy cable - 05ACCRA626

C O N F I D E N T I A L  ACCRA 000626 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2015 
TAGS: GH, KWMN, PHUM, PREL 
SUBJECT: KEEP GHANA ON TIER 1 
 
REF: A. ACCRA 504 
 
     B. ACCRA 519 
     C. ACCRA 566 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Mary C. Yates for reasons 1.5 d and e. 
 
 1.  (C)  Summary:  The Government of Ghana, at the very 
highest levels, has conveyed to us its intent to pass 
anti-trafficking in persons (TIP) legislation. The bill has 
been delayed because of bureaucratic problems, the national 
election, and the demands of forming a new government. 
However, we have every reason to believe a TIP bill will pass 
by the end of June.  Post recommends that Ghana maintain its 
Tier 1 ranking in the Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) 
subject to passage of this law by no later than June 30, 
2005.  End summary. 
 
2.  (U)  Over the past several months, the Ambassador and 
Emboffs have raised the urgent need to pass TIP legislation 
with President Kufuor, his Chief of Staff, the Speaker of 
Parliament, the Ministers of Manpower, Youth and Employment, 
Justice, Women and Children's Affairs, Parliament, and other 
ministry officials (reftels).  GOG officials have all made 
clear that the non-controversial anti-trafficking bill is a 
priority which should pass into law easily. 
 
The TIP Bill Delayed 
-------------------- 
 
3.  (SBU)  The TIP legislation has been delayed for three 
reasons, all of which are no longer relevant: 
 
-- Bureaucratic Battle:  For the past year, the TIP law was 
held up by a disagreement between the then-Minister of 
Manpower and the then-Minister of Women and Children Affairs 
(MOWAC) over leadership on the TIP issue.  The former 
Attorney General did not intervene in hopes that the 
bureaucratic battle would work itself out.  The bureaucratic 
battle has been resolved, with leadership on TIP given to the 
Ministry of Manpower.  Both of the new ministers are 
committed to fighting trafficking and support expeditious 
passage of the legislation. 
 
-- The Election:  In the months before the December 2004 
presidential and parliamentary election, GOG officials and 
members of parliament were absorbed with campaigning.  It was 
difficult to get them to focus on any legislation, including 
a TIP law.  However, this is no longer an issue since the 
election is over. 
 
-- Getting a New Government Organized:  It has taken time for 
President Kufuor to put his new Cabinet together, following 
his inauguration in January.  Cabinet members were vetted and 
most started work in early February.  In our early meetings 
with new ministers, they emphasized that they needed to be 
briefed on a wide range of issues and confessed they had not 
yet focused on TIP, but our meetings helped them prioritize 
this issue.  The new Cabinet has only met once.  Nearly half 
of the members of parliament are new. The government and 
legislature have been understandably focused on the 
priorities of appointing new ministers and deputy ministers 
and passing a budget. Parliament only passed four laws in its 
first 2005 session, all related to the budget.  The 
government is now organized and the next parliament will get 
down to the business of legislating. 
 
Keep Ghana on Tier 1 
-------------------- 
 
4.  (C)  Ghana has taken the trafficking issue seriously. 
Several GOG agencies, including the Ghana Police, Interpol, 
the Department of Social Welfare, Ghana Immigration Service 
and district-level law enforcement, have worked to combat 
trafficking.  The GOG supported the International 
Organization for Migration (IOM)'s rescue of 544 children 
from Volta Region fishing villages.  MOWAC distributed school 
uniforms and supplies to some of the victims.  The GOG also 
allowed IOM to use a former government guest house in Brong 
Ahafo Region as a rehabilitation facility to conduct 
counseling and medical checkups.  The GOG has further pledged 
three facilities in the Central and Western Regions to 
support IOM anti-trafficking projects in 2005. The Osu 
Children's Home, a GOG-operated shelter, rescued 28 children 
in 2004. The GOG plans to open a second shelter this year. 
 
5.  (C)  We believe the TIP bill will pass early in the next 
parliamentary session, due to start on May 10, although it 
may require several weeks for public gazetting and committee 
review.   We have impressed on the GOG the need for Cabinet 
to pass the TIP law and submit it for early consideration in 
parliament. 
 
6.  (C)  Demoting Ghana to Tier 2 would punish Ghana for not 
putting the TIP law above other pressing, reasonable 
priorities of a new government such as a budget and 
 
appointments.  Tier 2 demotion could undermine the GOG's good 
will on this issue and weaken its incentive to pass 
anti-trafficking legislation early. The GOG also has worked 
with civil society to draft a bill which all contacts believe 
will pass easily.  Ghana is a strong partner for America on a 
wide range of issues, from peacekeeping to counter-narcotics, 
and has a strong overall record on human rights and rule of 
law.  Keeping Ghana on Tier 1 until June 30 serves the better 
interests of passing a law and of our relationship with the 
new Kufuor administration.  We recommend that Ghana remain 
Tier 1 and that the Ambassador communicate to the President 
that this ranking is subject to passage of a TIP law by June 
30, after which time we will be forced to reconsider Ghana's 
Tier ranking. 
YATES 
 
 
NNNN