NAPTIP empowers 30 victims of human trafficking with trade tools
NAN-DS-6
Trafficking
By Deborah Coker
Benin, Nov. 22, 2017 (NAN) The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) on Wednesday in Benin presented trade tools for empowerment of 30 victims of Human Trafficking.
The empowerment project is funded by the Government of Switzerland with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ( UNODC).
Mrs Yolanda Herreu, Migration Adviser, Embassy of Switzerland, Abuja, who represented the Swiss Government at the occasion, said that the empowerment was being done in close partnership with NAPTIP.
According to Herreu, NAPTIP has been addressing human trafficking issues since its inception.
She said that the cooperation between UNODC, NAPTIP and the Swiss Embassy was one of the results of meetings between the Swiss and Nigerian Government on migration issues.
Herreu said that the objective was to develop common solutions to challenges faced by both countries and to better utilise the potential offered by migration.
She also said that Sweden and Nigeria were cooperating to prevent irregular migration, adding that a growing number of irregular migrants leave Nigeria daily in search of better life elsewhere.
She said that in most cases, such migrants migrate under the need to escape difficult socio-economic situations.
According to her, such illusion makes the migrants to believe that the perspective in the destination country is better.
Herreu, however, said, “ this is not always true, when irregular migration routes have to be followed”.
She said that the project’s overall objective was to improve organisational, operational, and management capacities of Law enforcement officers, counselors and social workers.
She said the objective also included dealing with cases of trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants in particular in the field of access to justice and victim support.
Herreu said that the broader aim of the project was to contribute to combating and reducing irregular migration that occurred through trafficking in persons and smuggling.
The UNODC representative, Mrs Elisabeth Bayer, said that her organisation’s work was guided by the protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children.
Bayer said that UNODC’s objective was to supplement the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime.
She said that the UNODC with funding from the Swiss Government was supporting NAPTIP in implementing one of its core mandate.
The Director-General of NAPTIP, Mrs Julie Okah-Donli, said that the fight against human trafficking was the responsibility of all.
Represented by the Director, Research and Programme, Okah-Donli said that it was not advisable to travel illegally, adding that there was no substitute for freedom against slavery.
She added that Nigeria was not so bad as to warrant illegal migration that most times led to hardship and death.
She urged Nigerians to have faith in their country and stop illegal migration. (NAN)
DCO/DOE/AMY
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Edited by Dianabasi Effiong/Abdullahi Yusuf