Social Welfare Minister Karminty Launches PROTECT Initiative to Tackle Human Trafficking
Sia Lucy Kannah The Minister of Social Welfare, Melrose Karminty, has launched the Preventing Human Trafficking through Enforcement, Cooperation and Training (PROTECT) Project in SierraLeone.
The launch took place at Cape Leisure, Mamba Point, Lagoonda, Aberdeen, Freetown, alongside the validation of a diagnostic assessment on human trafficking in Sierra Leone, as part of a two-day engagement scheduled for 8th to 9th October 2026.
At the ceremony, Minister Karminty called on stakeholders to make trafficking awareness a priority in their public engagements, stressing that collective action was essential to disrupting criminal networks.
She disclosed that 64 victims of trafficking were identified and rescued in Sierra Leone last year, including 52 children. She said that behind every statistic were individuals and families affected by exploitation, often through false promises of employment and better opportunities abroad.
The Minister identified poverty, unemployment, and the search for greener pastures as factors that expose young people to traffickers and fraudulent recruiters. She also highlighted the cross-border nature of trafficking, which operates across countries in the Gulf of Guinea and beyond.
On prevention, she called for increased public awareness of the risks of trafficking, safer migration, and legitimate opportunities available to young people within Sierra Leone. On protection, she emphasised the need for shelter, care, and reintegration services to help survivors rebuild their lives.
“Having only three convictions in two years is not enough,” she said, urging investigators, prosecutors, and the courts to strengthen their efforts as more victims come forward.
She further stressed the importance of collaboration among ministries, departments, and agencies, district councils, civil society organisations, development partners, and the media.
Additionally, Minister Karminty emphasised that survivors must have a voice in shaping the national response to trafficking. She pointed to the Trafficking in Persons Survivors Network as a platform through which survivors can lead outreach activities and contribute to policy development.
She declared: “Sierra Leone is not your market and it is not your route. Leave us alone.”
The PROTECT Project is funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) and implemented by Expertise France. The four-year regional initiative covers Sierra Leone, Guinea, Benin, Nigeria, and Togo, with a total budget of eight million euros. It runs from November 2025 to October 2029.
The project aims to strengthen the capacity, coordination, and gender sensitivity of institutions and stakeholders involved in combating human trafficking across the five participating countries.
Finally, the launch and the validation of the diagnostic assessment are being organised by the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Task Force Secretariat in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Welfare and Expertise France.