The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has raised red flag over the influx of Ghanaian ladies to the Gulf States for non-existing jobs. A statement issued in Accra yesterday by the Service, said for the past five months, over 2,000 young Ghanaian women have travelled to the Gulf States, where most of them resort to prostitution.
The following is the full press statement.
The Ghana Immigration Service wishes to bring to the attention of the general public that it has observed a worrying migration trend between the months of September 2014 and January 2015.
Statistics gathered over the period shows an unusually high number of young Ghanaian ladies travelling to the Gulf States, namely; Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. Our investigations reveal that some local Agencies are operating as recruitment agents for other job Agencies in these Gulf States promising unsuspecting Ghanaian ladies lucrative job opportunities.
They go further to assure them of very bright prospects in the area of Domestic Assistance jobs as well as the Hospitality industry with very flexible working hours, thereby making it possible to take up a second job.
Over 2000 ladies have so far departed from Ghana to these destinations within the past five months. Similarly, over the same period, we have witnessed the return or deportation of over 350 ladies.
These ladies return with harrowing stories about their journeys. Whereas some of these ladies bitterly complained about how they were deceived into believing the grass was greener out there, others complained about being overworked, sexually molested, starved and subjected to inhumane treatment.
We are told a number of ladies have been held in camps awaiting their relatives to procure tickets for their return to Ghana, since their travel expenses to these States were borne by the job Agencies in the listed countries.
It is difficult to prevent these ladies from departing Ghana especially when they are adults and are in possession of the required travel documents. It is for this reason that we are appealing to the general public and prospective travellers to be wary of promises of lucrative job opportunities in these Gulf States.
Members of the public are therefore being alerted to be wary when dealing with these recruitment Agencies. Credible migration information could be sought from the Public Affairs Unit, Migration Information Bureau, Anti-Human Smuggling and Trafficking In Persons Unit of the GIS in Accra or any of the eleven [11] Immigration Regional Offices or call the following numbers – 0302-221667, 224445, or 674125.The public is hereby advised accordingly.
