In a distressing case that exposes the depths of human trafficking, Beatrice Ofori, a businesswoman, has been handed an eight-year prison sentence by an Accra Circuit Court. This shocking incident unfolded as Beatrice recruited and trafficked a young woman from Ghana to Kurdistan, Iraq, promising her a seamstress job. Instead, the victim endured unimaginable suffering as a domestic servant. Despite her plea of not guilty, Beatrice was ultimately found guilty and received a fitting punishment.
According to Superintendent of Immigration John Bernard Otoo, Beatrice posed as a travel and tour operator in Accra to facilitate her heinous acts. The victim, whose name has been withheld, happened to be a neighbor and family friend of Beatrice, residing in Klagon, Accra. Disturbingly, after 11 months of silence, the victim’s mother received a distress call in which her daughter revealed that she was trapped in slavery in Kurdistan, Iraq.
Upon investigation, it was revealed that Beatrice had deceived the victim, luring her with the promise of a seamstress job but instead subjecting her to a life of servitude and cruelty for over 11 months. In addition to being exploited, the victim suffered sexual harassment, denial of food, and other inhumane treatment. Eventually, she managed to contact her mother and implored Beatrice to bring her back to Ghana, only to discover that a substantial sum of $4,500 had been paid for her captivity through an agency.
In a race against time, the Anti Human Smuggling and In Person Unit (AHSTIP) of the Ghana Immigration Service demanded Beatrice repatriate the victim to Ghana within a week as a condition of her bail. Thankfully, the victim was successfully received by the AHSTIP Unit at Kotoka International Airport on September 27, 2022, after Beatrice had purchased a ticket on Qatar Airways. This alarming case sheds light on the brutal realities of human trafficking and serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to combat this pervasive issue.
