By Rakiya A.Muhammad
Stakeholders have underscored the need for concerted efforts towards tackling all forms of human trafficking, which the United Nations describes as a global and widespread crime that uses men, women and children for profit.
“There are many forms of trafficking, but one consistent aspect is the abuse of the inherent vulnerability of the victims,” Rabiu Bello Gandi of the Save the Child Initiative (STCI) pointed out while speaking on the menace at a training programme for journalists in Sokoto.
A leading antitrafficking and human rights organisation in Nigeria, the DEVATOP Centre for Africa Development organised the programme towards spurring actions against trafficking in persons.
“Traffickers cater for existing/emerging demand for cheap or slave labour, sex and human organs,” Gandi added.
“They employ various methods to control their victims, including use of force, physical confinement or coercion, threats of imprisonment or deportation, debt bondage, threats of violence or other forms of harm to the victim or family, fear of stigmatisation and social or cultural isolation.”
He noted trafficking for forced labour, sexual exploitation, tissue, cells and organs, and domestic servitude as the reason perpetrators engage in the criminal act.
PUSH, PULL FACTORS
Gandi identified poverty, climate change, insecurity, economic hardship, lack of opportunities at home and social and economic marginalisation as push factors for trafficking in persons.
On pull factors, he listed suitable social measures, favourable economic situation, political/social stability, perceived opportunities elsewhere, and increasing demand for sex workers.
The rights activist reiterated the need to counter acts of trafficking, including recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring and receipt of persons.
Also speaking, NAPTIP Head of Counselling and Rehabilitation unit, NAPTIP Zonal Command Hassanah Mikailu, stressed the need to combat the menace, which she observed violates the human rights of its victims, resulting in personal health risk and could lead to the death of the victim.
She added trafficking in persons fuels irregular migration, causes the spread of HIV, AIDS and other diseases, promotes money laundering and aids Drug Trafficking.
The unit head, however, noted the national response and various efforts in the fight against trafficking in persons.
“Nigeria participated actively in the multilateral negotiations leading to the adoption of the protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children in the UN Palermo convention 2000,” she recalled.
“Nigeria domesticated the Protocol by enacting the Traffic in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration Act 2003, which established the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). The act was re-enacted as the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.”
Acting Zonal Commander, NAPTIP Sokoto Office Bashir Abubakar shed more light on the agency’s efforts in fighting the social ill.
He disclosed that in combating TIP, they adopted the 5Ps Principle of Prosecution, Prevention, Protection, Policy, and Partnership.
Among policy documents that serve as guides to tackle the social ill, Abubakar noted National Action Plan on Human Trafficking in Nigeria 2022 – 2026: Approved by the Federal Executive Council on February 23rd, 2022.
He also noted the National Policy on Protection and Assistance to Trafficked Persons in Nigeria: Recently reviewed and approved by the Federal Executive Council on March 3rd, 2022.
THE STATISTICS
He said as of December 2022, they recorded 10,301 reported cases,8,377 suspected traffickers arrested, 578 Convictions (80 convictions in 2022), and 261 ongoing cases in various courts across the country.
According to him, 200 sex offenders have been captured in the National Sexual Offenders Database/ Register, as mandated by the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015.
Abubakar said they rescued, sheltered and rehabilitated over 18,547 victims of human trafficking, adding 1,210 victims have gone through the shelters between January 2022 to date (shelter, medical support, psycho-social support, legal assistance).
He expressed delight that NAPTIP has sponsored 16 victims of trafficking to universities nationwide. Three of such graduates, he added, are now officers of NAPTIP.
On partnerships, he said NAPTIP collaborates with local, regional and international stakeholders to ensure the elimination and prevention of the root causes of human trafficking.
“Between October 2021 and date, Nigeria signed Bilateral Agreements to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children, with the Republic of Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Memorandum of Understanding with the Republic of Niger, and The Gambia,” he stated.
He said they partnered with Facebook and the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to enhance tracing and diligent investigation of all cases of online child abuse, human trafficking and other related crimes.
“The Agency will have unrestricted access to millions of information around the world that would help tackle online recruitment, trafficking, exploitation of victims,” he stated.
“It will also help to detect persons who use social media platforms to electronically distribute pornographic materials to either blackmail or exploit children. “
He said Between September 2021 and May 5th, 2022; the agency received 27,094 reports from Facebook on sextortion (child exploitation) from Nigeria using different social media platforms.
THE CHALLENGES
But Abubakar lamented that the ever-evolving nature of Trafficking in Persons remains challenging.
“For instance, besides oath taking, traffickers now make their victims swear nude on arrival at destination country; the video recordings are used to threaten the victims if they don’t cooperate,” he pointed out.
“With COVID-19, there was a shift from physical recruitment to virtual recruitment with an increase in fake online job advertorials and fake scholarships. “
He also observed that the relationship between suspects and victims poses a challenge to effective investigation and prosecution as victims are unwilling to testify against their traffickers, since they are sometimes relatives or friends. This seriously hampers the prosecutorial efforts and conviction rates, he said.
“Jurisdiction is a challenge to prosecutors. Due to the transnational nature of TIP as a human rights violation which may have occurred over a period and across different jurisdictions with some key culprits or victims/witnesses spread across various jurisdictions,” he added.
“Some elements that create vulnerability to Human trafficking are culturally accepted as a way of life, e.g. child labour, domestic servitude, lack of cooperation from the source/vulnerable communities who, due to ignorance, believe the traffickers are helping and should therefore be protected from NAPTIP.”
He also identified low crime reporting as a challenge, as the public often does not report incidents of trafficking in persons, which reduces the chances of tracing and arresting the suspects.
The NAPTIP Acting Zonal Commander added:” Insecurity is a challenge and hampers the agency’s work in terms of operations, sensitisation, rescue and assistance.”
BREAKING THE SILENCE
Executive Director DEVATOP, Joseph Osuigwe, said the centre began implementing the TALKAM Against Trafficking (TATIP) project to contribute to ongoing counter-trafficking in-person efforts of the Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE) programme of Palladium in Nigeria, as funded by USAID.
“TATIP is to stimulate civil society leaders, community leaders, youth, women and students at the grassroots levels and in urban centres to take strategic actions against human trafficking and harmful practices that make people, especially women and children, vulnerable to exploitation” he said.
He added they launched the TALKAM platform, an innovative project that utilises information and communication technology tools to speak out about human trafficking, human rights abuses and irregular migration.
The centre aimed to use information and data to stimulate actions against human trafficking and other human rights abuses, thus increasing reporting and reducing incidences.
