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THE HEP BLOG
Welcome to the Hope Education Project Ghana Blog
Explore our collection of insightful articles and updates dedicated to combating human trafficking through education and community empowerment in Ghana. Here at the Hope Education Project, we are committed to raising awareness and fostering understanding about the critical issues affecting vulnerable populations in Northern Ghana and beyond. Our blog serves as a hub for sharing success stories, knowledge, challenges, and the latest developments from our on-ground initiatives.
Each post delves into the various facets of our work, from detailed accounts of our work in schools and communities to analysis of the factors contributing to human trafficking in the region. We also feature voices from the field – educators, community leaders, and survivors – who bring personal and powerful perspectives on the ongoing fight against this grave issue.
Our blog is a resource for educators, activists, donors, and anyone interested in the intersection of education, advocacy, and human rights. Whether you’re looking for updates on our latest projects, insights into effective anti-trafficking strategies, or stories of hope and resilience, you’ll find a wealth of information to engage with and share.
Latest · 21 October 2026
TIP 2026: Ghana Upgraded to Tier 1 - What the Trafficking in Persons Report Says and What It Misses
The US State Department's 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report, published on 8 October, has moved Ghana up to Tier 1. In the report's words, the…
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19 October 2026
Child Trafficking in Ghana: Causes, Where It Happens and What Prevents It
Most child trafficking in Ghana does not start with a stranger. It starts at home, with a relative, a broker or a promise of an apprenticeship, and…
15 October 2026
Money, Marriage, a Job Online: What a New Study of Northern Ghana's Border Communities Tells Us About Extremism and Trafficking
A STAR-Ghana study of 12 border communities finds that violent extremist groups use the same lures to recruit women as traffickers do: money…
15 October 2026
Angus Thomas on Agency for Change: Prevention, Curiosity and the Five Men Who Asked
Our founder Angus Thomas joined Lyn Wineman on KidGlov's Agency for Change podcast to explain why HEP stops trafficking at the source - in schools…
28 May 2026
Borders, Vulnerability, and Protection: Panel Discussion at Washington University, St Louis
Last week our founder, Angus Thomas, sat on a panel at Washington University in St Louis. The Clark-Fox Policy Institute, the Forced Migration…
2 April 2026
SOMA Global Sisterhood Circle – Join Us
We are bringing together teenage girls from Tamale, Ghana and from around the world for five sessions over five weeks of honest conversation. This is…
2 April 2026
Coprophilic Exploitation in Trafficking: A Critical Gap in the Academic Literature
This post accompanies the Hope Education Project’s lived experience reporting on porta potty exploitation among Nigerian women trafficked to the UAE.…
29 March 2026
Porta Potty Nigeria: Survivor Testimony from the UAE
Online coverage of porta potty has largely treated it as a social media spectacle. Something disturbing and clickable, attached to influencers…
19 March 2026
Displacement and Trafficking Risk in Northern Ghana
The displacement picture in Northern Ghana is more complex than a single UNHCR dashboard can capture, and that complexity matters directly for HEP’s…
17 March 2026
Transhumance Corridors and Trafficking Risk in Northern Ghana
IOM published a new report this month. It maps 17 transhumance corridors running from Burkina Faso into northern Ghana – the seasonal routes that…
19 February 2026
Volunteer with Hope Education Project UK | Two Roles Open
At Hope Education Project UK, real change happens when the right people step forward.
26 January 2026
The Weaponization of Hope: Fighting Trafficking for Armed Conflict with Education
When we discuss human trafficking, we often visualize forced labor in factories or sexual exploitation in city centers. However, a terrifying new…
19 January 2026
QNet in Ghana: BBC Investigation, EOCO Raids, and Avoiding the Scam
For years, the name “QNet” has sparked heated debate across West Africa. To some, it is presented as a life-changing business opportunity; to others…
1 November 2025
Hope Education Project UK Is now a registered charity
We’re proud to announce that the Hope Education Project UK is now officially registered as a UK charity. HEP UK is a separate entity to Hope…
21 October 2025
From Illicit Hubs to Exploitation: Organized Crime in Northern Ghana Fuels Trafficking Vulnerability
The Illicit Hub Mapping in West Africa 2025 report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) this week validates our…
2 October 2025
Child-Centred Prevention and Filling the Data Gaps in Ghana
In Northern Ghana, children themselves are showing us where protection systems fall short. In our pilot program in Tamale, junior high school…
16 September 2025
Behind the Hashtag: BBC Investigation Reveals Deaths Behind #DubaiPortaPotty
This week, BBC News Africa and Thread Studios released a powerful investigation by journalist Runako Celina that exposes a human trafficking network…
11 September 2025
Porta-Potty: The Dark Reality of Sexual Exploitation
The phrase “Porta Potty Party” has spread across the internet, sensationalised as a bizarre spectacle of money, sex, and humiliation. But behind the…
4 September 2025
Beyond “Sex for Fish”: The Male Accountability Crisis in Ghana’s Trafficking Networks
Triggered by new research, a disturbing video investigation published this week reveals how male-dominated systems perpetuate child sexual…
21 August 2025
Cyber Scamming: The Rise of Industrial-Scale Operations and Human Trafficking
Cyber scamming operations have evolved from individual criminal activities into sophisticated, industrial-scale enterprises generating tens of…
7 August 2025
From Tamale to Madrid: How Global Digital Culture is Grooming Girls into Sexual Economies
A recent Spanish study on adolescents’ perceptions of OnlyFans reveals troubling parallels with our findings from Tamale, Northern Ghana. Despite…
30 July 2025
My Lens – I am still here – Photography Exhibition
Survivors of modern slavery are taking back control of their stories in a moving new online photography exhibition, ‘My Lens – I am still here’…
19 April 2025
Community Human Trafficking Awareness Event in Tamale
Following strong community interest generated by our school and community sessions, the Hope Education Project hosted a final public event as part of…
9 April 2025
Hope Education Project: Anti-Trafficking Education for Out-of-School Girls
Alongside the SMART Schools Program pilot, the Hope Education Project delivered a targeted three-session program for out-of-school girls and young…
27 March 2025
Hope Education Project: Anti-Trafficking Handouts for Schools in Tamale
At the end of our five-module anti-trafficking education journey, each student received a printed handout to take home, a simple but powerful…
21 March 2025
Hope Education Project Module 5: Theatre-Based Trafficking Education in Tamale Schools
This week marked the delivery of Module 5 in the Hope Education Project pilot – a vibrant and emotional culmination of everything the students have…
12 March 2025
Human Trafficking Education in Ghana: Hope Education Project – Module 4 Theatre Update
This week, we introduced students to Module 4 of our human trafficking education pilot: a powerful shift from classroom learning to creating and…
4 March 2025
Hope Education Project: Online Trafficking and Digital Safety in Ghana – Module 3 Update
In the third week of our human trafficking education pilot program for Ghana, we shifted focus to the digital world with the delivery of Module 3…
18 February 2025
Hope Education Project Delivers Human Trafficking Education in Ghana: Module 2 Update
Following the successful launch of our human trafficking education pilot in Ghana with the delivery of Module 1 last week, we continued this week…
16 February 2025
Hope Education Project: Module 1 Delivery Update
This week the HEP Human Trafficking Education and Awareness Pilot Project got underway in Tamale, Northern Region, Ghana. As part of our mission to…
12 February 2025
The Pilot Program is Underway in Tamale, Ghana
We’re excited to share that our pilot human trafficking education program is officially underway in Tamale, Ghana! Over the past week, we’ve been…
16 December 2024
Unmasking Exploitation: The Harrowing Reality of Webcam Studios and the Growing Threat in Ghana
According to a new report by Human Rights Watch, webcam studios in Colombia have inflicted severe abuses on models and contributed to the production…
3 December 2024
Human Trafficking Awareness Infographic – Hope Education Project Ghana
At the Hope Education Project (HEP), we are dedicated to empowering communities in Tamale, Ghana, with knowledge and tools to combat human…
26 November 2024
Hope Education Project: Progress in Combating Child Exploitation in Ghana – November 2024 Update
Greetings from Tamale, Ghana! This month has been a whirlwind of activity and growth for the Hope Education Project (HEP) as we prepare for our pilot…
26 November 2024
Combating Child Sexual Exploitation in Northern Ghana: Insights from ECPAT’s 2024 Workshop
From May 27 to 31, 2024, the vibrant city of Dakar, Senegal, hosted the ECPAT Regional Workshop, bringing together over 90 representatives from more…
23 November 2024
How to Spot Fake Job Offers: Protect Yourself from Scams
Life in Northern Ghana is becoming increasingly challenging due to the rising cost of fuel and everyday essentials. Coupled with the effects of…
20 September 2024
The Hidden Connection: Climate Change and Human Trafficking in Ghana
Climate change is reshaping lives across the globe, but its impacts go beyond rising sea levels and extreme weather events. In Ghana, the effects of…
16 September 2024
Tackling Child Labour and Trafficking in Ghana: A Fight for the Future
Child labour and human trafficking are deeply intertwined issues in Ghana, particularly affecting vulnerable children in industries such as cocoa…
13 September 2024
Trafficked to Dubai: How Education Can Help Prevent Human Trafficking
Jennifer is a Nigerian woman rescued by our sister campaign, Send Them Home after she was sex trafficked to Dubai, United Arab Emirates in 2020. The…
19 July 2024
Influencer-Washing In Dubai: The Hidden Human Rights Violations Behind Glamorous Influencers
The recent case of an Irish domestic violence victim criminalized by Dubai authorities starkly contrasts the glamorous image of Dubai promoted by…
26 June 2024
TIP24 Report on Human Trafficking in Ghana: Key Facts, Trafficking to Gulf Countries and the Role of Education and Awareness
The 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP24) released yesterday provides a comprehensive overview of human trafficking in Ghana. TIP24 reports that…
20 June 2024
The Ethical Imperative of Safeguarding Human Trafficking Survivors Identities
Recently, a deeply troubling incident came to light involving the rescue of young Nigerian women trafficked to Winneba, Ghana for sexual…
22 May 2024
The Kayaye Crisis: Why Skills Training And Accommodation In Accra Are Not Enough
The phenomenon of kayaye, female head porters who migrate from the north of Ghana to the southern cities, is a glaring issue that continues to grow.…
23 April 2024
Dubai Sex: Searching for the Low Down?
One of the most popular search terms that brings web traffic to this website is “Dubai sex” with 50,000 hits in March 2024 and rising. If you are one…
5 April 2024
Digital Shadows: Combating Online Recruitment for Forced Labour in West Africa
The rapid expansion of digital connectivity, amplified by the global shift towards online platforms due to the pandemic, has significantly…
25 March 2024
A Guide For Avoiding Fake Job Offers
In today’s digital job market, the proliferation of fake job offers has become a growing concern. The National Agency for the Prohibition of…
5 February 2024
Washington State USA Introduces Mandatory Sex Trafficking Education For Pupils
Washington State in the United States has taken a groundbreaking step by introducing a mandatory sex trafficking prevention…
12 January 2024
Denied Food And Passports, Held Captive And Sold On Social Media – Domestic Work In The United Arab Emirates
In our mission to educate vulnerable Ghanaians about the perils of human trafficking, it’s crucial to learn from real-life scenarios. A recent…
23 December 2023
Escaping the Nightmare: Urgent Call for Survivor-Led Solutions in the Fight Against Human Trafficking
Every day, thousands of people are trafficked – sold a dream of a better future, to only be presented with a grim reality of entrapment, slavery, and…
17 November 2023
The Dark Side Of Dubai – Exhibition Video Exposes Sex Trafficking In Dubai
An exhibition by our sister organisation, the Send Them Home campaign, entitled “Stop Human Trafficking” is running until the 20th December 2023 at…
14 November 2023
Stop Human Trafficking Exhibition by the Send Them Home campaign
Join us from November 17th 2023 at 59 Greek Street, Soho, London for a profound exhibition titled ‘Send Them Home – Stop Human Trafficking’. This…
24 October 2023
Hotels And Corporate Social Responsibility In The UAE
In Dubai, the glittering heart of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), women who have been trafficked from around the world are manipulated and forced…
7 August 2023
Unveiling ‘Hookup’: A Gen Z Rebrand of Prostitution and Its Link to Sex Trafficking in Ghana
I just finished watching the latest episode of the excellent SavSig TV Young Voices Forum https://bit.ly/3NaKUW6 Savana Signatures discussing the…
1 July 2023
What Is Human Trafficking? A Newcomers 101
Human trafficking, a form of modern day slavery, is casting a growing shadow on an increasingly unstable world, impacting countless lives and…
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