Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Ghana: West African hub for illegal sex trade

Ghana is a hub for many things in the West African sub-region, including an international sex trade, says an editorial in Accra’s Public Agenda. That’s why it didn’t surprise many that two men were busted for illegally trafficking 19 Nigerian women to Europe.

“At the heart of trafficking girls for sexual exploitation is tourism, no one needs any reminder that wherever tourism is at its peak social vices like prostitution, homosexuality and pedophilia come as a natural consequence,” the editor wrote. “That is why this newspaper has had cause to raise the red flag over the government’s zeal to make tourism the number one exchange earner. Undoubtedly, tourism has the potential to boost economic growth, but even where the economies entirely depend on tourism for revenue, they have put in tight laws to protect vulnerable children.”

Without a law protecting children from abuse, Ghana may be overrun in 2008 by sex tourists masquerading as soccer fans.

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