Politics
THE CLEEN Foundation, with support from the United Nations Women (UNWomen) and the Italian Government, has inaugurated a project to curb forced migration and woman and girls trafficking in Nigeria.
Mr. Benson Olugbuo, Executive Director of the foundation, made the disclosure in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
Olugbuo said that the project with the theme: “Preventing Forced Migration and Trafficking of Women and Girls in Nigeria: Build Resilience, Promote Sustainable Development”, was aimed to provide a gender-sensitive policy environment to address forced migration and trafficking.
“It is specifically to enable a gender-sensitive policy environment that addresses forced migration and trafficking and to increase gender-sensitive information and awareness-raising in source migration trafficking sites.
“It also broadly seeks to support and strengthen the gender responsiveness of interventions by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and other relevant government agencies,” he said.
He said that the organisation would be responsible for implementing key activities in Edo and Lagos states to serve as a focal point for the project.
This, he said, would ensure that a gender-sensitive policy environment would be in place and influenced fully by women and girls’ rights organisations in source migration trafficking sites.
He added that the organisation would embark on collaborative engagement with various government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) including NAPTIP, police, Nigeria Immigration Service, civil societies, and community representatives for the project in the states.
“The intervention will involve the conduct of gender audit of protection services within existing shelters and safe homes and other services by frontline service providers.
“This will form the basis for the development of specialised tools and training to enhance gender-responsive service delivery for security, health, and justice sector agents for effective advocacy and participation across the board,” he said.
He commended the activities of government agencies charged with mandates toward the prevention of forced migration and trafficking of women and girls in Nigeria, prosecution of enablers and traffickers, and enforcement of extant relevant laws.
He also appreciated the collective measures taken by international development organisations and national agencies in the fight against forced migration and human trafficking in Nigeria.
Olugbuo, however, called on governments and all critical stakeholders working to curb the rate of forced migration and human trafficking not to relent but show greater commitment in formulating more gender-sensitive policies and establishing gender-sensitive protection services for trafficked women and girls.
He also called for domestication and enforcement of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, 2015, and the Child Rights Act, 2003, among others. (NAN)
– Jun. 26, 2020 @ 10:17 GMT |
Tags: CLEEN Foundation inaugurates project to curb trafficking migration
