The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) on Tuesday, April 21 conducted an intelligence-led operation to rescue undocumented migrants from exploitative street begging networks in Kumasi.
The operation, which commenced at 03:30 hours, targeted identified hotspots including Asawase, Alabar, Akwatia Line, Dagomba Line, Sabon Zongo, and Aboabo.
A total of 606 individuals were rounded up, comprising 381 children, 72 females, and 153 males.
Many of those rescued are believed to be victims of human trafficking and forced begging.
According to the Service, this exercise forms part of a nationwide campaign to address the growing menace of organised street begging networks across the country.
This follows a similar exercise on Wednesday, April 15 in parts of the Greater Accra Region including Abossey Okai, Zongo Junction, Nima, Madina, and Kaneshie, resulting in the safe repatriation of 356 West African nationals to their home countries, namely Niger, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso.
In order not to breach the ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol, which guarantees visa-free travel, residence, and establishment rights for citizens of member states, GIS emphasises that these operations are targeted at criminal exploitation and irregularities, not legitimate regional mobility.
In collaboration with the Nigerian High Commission in Accra, for instance, the Service assisted 89 Nigerian nationals to regularise their documentation and facilitated their handover to relevant anti-human trafficking authorities in Nigeria.