By OkayGoal 
Sports journalists have been called upon to exercise greater diligence in their work to help curb the rising threat of human trafficking within the sports sector.
The appeal was made by Abena Annobea Asare, Director of the Human Trafficking Secretariat at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, during a media training session held on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, at the IOM Head Office on Volta Street in the Airport Residential Area in Accra.
The training, organised as part of ongoing efforts to tackle human trafficking in Ghana, brought together sports journalists and key stakeholders to deepen their understanding of trafficking patterns and encourage responsible reportage.
Addressing participants, Madam Asare warned that many young athletes continue to fall prey to traffickers who lure them with false promises of lucrative opportunities to play professional sports abroad.
“These traffickers often present attractive opportunities, but victims end up being exploited in various forms, including forced labour and sexual exploitation,” she said.
She explained that human trafficking is not confined to cross-border activities but also occurs within national boundaries, making it a pervasive issue that demands collective action.
Madam Asare further noted that traffickers often exploit misinformation, trust, and the aspirations of young people seeking better opportunities, particularly in sports.
She highlighted that Ghana has put in place legal and institutional measures, including the Human Trafficking Act, to address the problem through prevention, protection of victims, prosecution of offenders, and strengthened partnerships.
The Director also cautioned journalists against inadvertently aiding traffickers by promoting unverified advertisements and dubious opportunities.
“Journalists must be careful not to become channels through which traffickers reach unsuspecting victims,” she stressed.
Participants were also taken through emerging trends, including cyber-enabled recruitment scams, where traffickers increasingly use digital platforms to deceive and recruit victims.
The training forms part of a broader initiative aimed at enhancing awareness and equipping media practitioners with the tools to report accurately and responsibly on issues of human trafficking within the sports industry.