06 June 2008
Reporter Goes Undercover To Expose Human Traffickers, June 6, 2008(Ghanaian journalist helped disrupt prostitution rings)
Washington -- A reporter with an independent Ghanaian newspaper, Anas Aremeyaw Anas was responsible for breaking two major trafficking rings in Accra in a year’s time.
He worked undercover for eight months, exposing the ring’s methods of transportation and the identities of immigration officials who were accepting bribes in return for overlooking fake visas and passports.
Anas made recordings of his interactions, which allowed him to collect evidence that could be used by the police to prosecute the traffickers who were sending girls to Europe for prostitution. As a result of his investigation, and his collaboration with law enforcement agencies, nongovernmental organizations and other journalists, 17 Nigerian trafficking victims were rescued.
Following this success, Anas posed as a janitor in a brothel where he collected evidence of a second ring trafficking children for prostitution. His efforts guided police in planning and executing a raid to rescue minors prostituted in the brothel. His exemplary courage and innovation were instrumental in disrupting two rings that profited from human trafficking.
Anas is one of 17 “Heroes Acting to End Modern-Day Slavery” named in the 2008 Trafficking in Persons Report. (See “Reducing Demand Is Key To Curbing Human Trafficking, U.S. Says.”)
The heroes designation began with the Trafficking in Persons Report for 2004 under then-Secretary of State Colin Powell to recognize ordinary people who have done extraordinary work to combat modern-day slavery. Since then, the State Department has identified each year in its Trafficking in Persons Report individuals who have shown great courage in the face of adversity in fighting this worldwide problem.
