By Rakiya A.Muhammad
Emerging global crises, including climate change, insecurity, high inflation, financial shocks, and the COVID-19 pandemic, have left millions of people at risk of human trafficking even though Governments and non-state actors have continued to work together assiduously to stem the tides of trafficking in persons (TIP).
National President of the Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL), Mr Abdulganiyu Abubakar, who made the observation, said the situation called for a more responsive approach to preventing, suppressing and punishing trafficking in persons.
He spoke in commemoration of this year’s world day against trafficking in persons with the theme: ‘Reach every victim of trafficking, leave no one behind.’
Abubakar recalled that the tagline “Leave no one behind” was the guiding principle of world leaders of 193 countries, including Nigeria, adopted in 2015 by the United Nations for Sustainable Development Goals in solving the most pressing problems today, including Trafficking in Persons, as stated in SDG 16.2.
The 2023 theme, he said, underscored the need for stakeholders in the fight against human trafficking to prioritise victims’ rehabilitation and reintegration with a focus on trauma counselling, empowerment, family engagement and reunification for sustainable reintegration and prevention of trafficking.
“As the world commemorates the TIP Day, it is very important to understand the statistical representation of victims of human trafficking by TIP organisations for proper planning, programme design and implementation of human trafficking projects and interventions,” he pointed out.
“It is estimated that there are 24.9 million victims of TIP worldwide, including victims of sex trafficking or commercial sexual exploitation and forced labour exploitation, respectively.
Of these statistics, 20.1 million are victims of labour trafficking while 4.8 million are victims of sex trafficking, respectively.”
However, he acknowledged established international and national frameworks in the fight against TIP, including legal and institutional frameworks.
The NACTAL helmsman urged improved partnership between the state and non-state actors, particularly at the National and Subnational levels, to deliver effective care and support services to victims of human trafficking through a well-coordinated approach that would guarantee the rights of victims, improve their quality of life and prevent re-trafficking by human traffickers.
He congratulated the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP,) the leading government body in Nigeria in the fight against human trafficking, as she celebrates the 20th anniversary of the agency in counter-trafficking efforts.
The National President expressed NACTAL’s commitment to a better working relationship with the agency while pledging its continuous support towards a TIP-free Nigeria.
He lauded the efforts of all our partners for their technical and financial support to NACTAL over the years in the fight against human trafficking in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.
The anti-trafficking CSOs network has 288 members across Nigeria.
