Lawyer, proprietress at God’s Kids Orphanage convicted for human trafficking

Two offenders; Elizabeth Arthur, a proprietress at God’s Kids Orphanage in Kasoa and Daniel Opare Asiedu, a Lawyer have been convicted by the Accra Circuit Court for conspiracy to commit crime, to wit, defrauding by false prentences contrary to section 23 (1) and 131 of the criminal code 1960 (ACT 29).

Lawyer Daniel Asiedu was convicted and sentenced to three years in hard labour and in addition a fine of 1000 penalty units (12gh per one) or serve additional 2years if he default. A second convict, Elizabeth Arthur an owner of God's Kids Orphanage in Kasoa was also convicted and sentenced to same as the first accused lawyer Asiedu.

The two offenders were arrested and prosecuted by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service with support from the Human Trafficking Secretariat (HTS) of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

BACKGROUND

Ms. Elizabeth Arthur Adjei (aka Mama Lizzy) and Lawyer Daniel Asiedu acted together with a common purpose succeeded in collecting money from a couple by name Benjamin Kofi Okyere and Comfort Arthur (complainant) with the promise of transporting the couple and their one and half-year-old son to Canada for a job opportunity. The complainant was asked to pay an amount of Five Thousand Ghana Cedis (₵5,000.00) to be used to procure a passport and other travel documents, out of which Four Thousand Ghana Cedis (4,000.00) was paid.

Elizabeth Arthur later informed the complainant that the documents were all ready but the complainant’s wife could not travel because she had become pregnant but could only travel after delivery. The husband (complainant) could also travel after three days because there was a problem with his passport which must be worked on but his son could travel because there was nothing wrong with his documents so the white man would go ahead with the boy.

After months of persistence, the complainant was given a document which he gave to a friend, and after reading the document, the complainant was made to understand that his child has been adopted. The complainant reported the case to the Devtraco Police Station after which the perpetrators were arrested, prosecuted and convicted for their crimes.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Trafficking in persons is a global crime in International Law. Article 3(a) of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children define Trafficking in Persons as “Trafficking in Persons shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation."

Ghana has been known to be a country of origin, transit, and destination for people especially women and children subjected to Trafficking in Persons.

GOVERNMENT’S COMMITMENT

The Government of Ghana (GoG), over the past 5 years, has increased efforts to combat human trafficking. These efforts by GoG have resulted in Ghana’s upgrade from Tier 2 Watch List to a Tier 2 ranking since the 2018 TIP Report.

The Human Trafficking Secretariat (HTS) has collaborated with a host of partners and stakeholders to fight and educate people on human trafficking.