‎A civil society organisation, Global Freedom Network (GFN), has raised the alarm over the continued existence of slavery in modern-day forms, warning that it will take cooperation, collaboration and global support to end the menace.

‎Speaking on the CruzFM Morning Show in Akumadan, Madam Elizabeth Poku, Programme Coordinator for GFN, said the group’s ultimate goal since 2014 has been to eradicate modern slavery through awareness creation, advocacy, and partnerships.

"We have been holding a series of signing ceremonies around the world where religious leaders come together and they make a declaration against slavery," she said.

‎According to her, these declarations have taken place in the Vatican, Delhi, Canberra, Jakarta, Buenos Aires, Auckland and Medellin between 2014 and 2018. 

‎On August 5, 2021, GFN held its first African declaration signing ceremony in Ghana, with 14 religious leaders from Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC and Nigeria coming together to pledge their commitment to fight slavery.

‎The Numbers Are Alarming

‎Madam Poku revealed that despite the 1926 and 1934 Slavery Conventions which prohibited slavery under international law, practices such as human trafficking, forced labour, child marriage, and debt bondage are still on the surge.

‎Citing GFN’s internal research, she disclosed that since 2021, 91,000 victims of modern slavery have been identified in Ghana, while the global figure stands at 50 million.

‎This is a clear indication that the menace of modern day slavery is not just a reality but raging in the quiet.

‎The warning comes as the Ghana Police Service, at a press briefing on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, disclosed that 33 victims of human trafficking had been rescued while 28 suspects were arrested.

‎According to the Director General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) DCOP Lydia Yaako Donkor, the operation was part of intelligence-led efforts targeting cyber-enabled fraud, human trafficking, and illicit arms trafficking in Accra, Tema, and the Ashanti Region.

‎The CID boss noted that several other cases of trafficking, mostly from Nigeria into Ghana, have been busted by security agencies earlier this year.

‎Root Causes and What GFN Is Doing

‎GFN’s research identifies poverty, political instability, and famine as the main drivers of modern slavery.

‎The group is also tackling issues like child and forced marriages, which Madam Poku said continue to happen quietly due to societal norms, with very little reporting or law enforcement intervention.

‎As part of its sensitization drive, GFN in June 2022 collaborated with transport unions and the Police Anti-Trafficking Unit to run a poster campaign. 

‎"We designed posters showing the 18555_ number which is the hotline for the Anti-Trafficking Unit and we placed those posters on buses and at bus stations at VIP and STC stations. We also sensitized the passengers and drivers," she added.

‎The organization is currently running similar awareness and poster campaigns in Accra and is calling on government, religious leaders, traditional authorities, the media and all stakeholders to join hands to end all forms of human rights abuses amounting to slavery.

‎"Modern day slavery is real. Stay alert," Madam Poku concluded.