An
anti-human trafficking group, the Academy for Prevention of Human Trafficking
and other related matters (TAPHOM), has said that about 701, 032 Nigerians are
illegally moved out of the country every year for sexual exploitation, organ
removal and forced labour.
The
academy, a subsidiary of Devatop Centre for Africa Development, in partnership
with National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP),
disclosed this yesterday at a workshop they organised to train participants on
modern anti-trafficking schemes.
A
total of 68 law enforcement agents, legal practitioners, youths, educators,
community volunteers, religious groups and journalists were trained on the
anti-human trafficking advocacy course.
The
executive director of Devatop Centre for Africa Development and head of TAPHOM,
Joseph Osuigwe Chidiebere, said there is much work to be done to combat and
prevent human trafficking and gender-based violence, while calling on others to
join the fight.
“People
might think human trafficking is a thing of the past, but it is happening now.
There is hardly any family that is not touched by the effects of human
trafficking, rape or gender-based violence,” he said.
He
expressed his passion to engage stakeholders in building a world without human
trafficking and gender-based violence.
“We
can’t keep silent at this evil. We can’t close our eyes to it. We can’t pretend
as if it doesn’t exist. We have to take action, and nothing but action”, he
stated.
During
the graduation of the trainees and inauguration of Day of Advocacy against
Human Trafficking, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, former chairman of National Human
Rights Commission advised the participants to start putting things right in
Nigeria. He also stated that bad leadership and poverty were among the causes
of human trafficking.
Also,
the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, represented by the commissioner
of police, Interpol, Abuja, Mr. Olusola Subair, assured the participants that
the police will continue to improve its efforts and strategies in the fight
against human trafficking.
The
director of Public Enlightenment of National Agency for Prohibition of
Trafficking in Persons, Mr. Arinze Orakwue, charged the trainees to take
strategic actions to prevent human trafficking.
The
United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) also said that combating human
trafficking requires building a protective environment for children to prevent
their abuse and exploitation.
It
added that continuous public education campaigns and rigorous enforcement of
the law must be prioritised in order to change the tradition of using children
as labourers, particularly domestic girls.
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