Africa, Featured
Human trafficking in Nigeria has remained a significant and complex issue, with recent developments highlighting both the scale of the problem and the ongoing efforts to combat it. In 2023 and 2024, multiple cases surfaced that further exposed the harrowing experiences faced by victims and the challenges authorities encounter in curbing this crime even as stakeholders recommended a comprehensive effort in tackling the menace.
By Anthony Isibor
IN June this year, there was this video of about 10 underaged Nigerian girls between the ages of 15 and 16 narrating how they were trafficked to Ghana for prostitution.
Three of those teenage girls were siblings and were lured to Ghana with promises of a better life but were instead forced into prostitution.
Although the Federal Government has rescued the girls, bringing the number of teenage Nigerian girls rescued from Accra to 105 as of June, 2024, the incidence, however, shows the endemic nature that trafficking has assumed in Africa.
The United Nation reports on Child Labour says that Africa ranks highest among regions both in the percentage of children in child labour — one-fifth — and the absolute number of children in child labour — 72 million. Asia and the Pacific rank second highest in both these measures — 7% of all children and 62 million in absolute terms are engaged in child labour in this region.
According to reports, Africa, Asia and the Pacific regions together account for almost nine out of every 10 children in child labour worldwide. “The remaining child labour population is divided among the Americas (11 million), Europe and Central Asia (6 million), and the Arab States (1 million). In terms of incidence, 5% of children are in child labour in the Americas, 4% in Europe and Central Asia, and 3% in the Arab States.”
The Nigerian government, through the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, has been at the forefront in the fight against human trafficking, but the numbers are staggering. Between 2004 and May 2023 alone, NAPTIP arrested over 9,102 traffickers, securing 604 convictions and rescuing 20,660 victims.
One of the most alarming reports came from Mali; where over 25,000 Nigerian women and girls have been trapped in trafficking rings, mainly for sexual exploitation. These women were also lured with promises of better opportunities, only to be forced into situations from which escape is nearly impossible.
While the government through various agencies continues to wage a ferocious war against Human Trafficking, factors such as poverty, lack of education, and gender inequality, Corruption continue to fuel the menace as trafficking of Nigerian women and children remains a grave concern with the most vulnerable to trafficking reported to include people from rural communities, IDPs, irregular migrants, those working in the informal economy and those with disabilities.
Reports have identified Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial hub, as the epicenter of both internal and external human trafficking. From 2018 to 2023, over 2,000 individuals were trafficked through Lagos, with many being transported to other West African countries. In May 2023, the Lagos State Police Command rescued 10 teenage girls who were about to be trafficked to neighboring countries for prostitution.
Through various efforts of the government, NAPTIP, the Diaspora Commission, NGO’s, the scale of the problem indicates that these operations barely scratch the surface even as NAPTIP has also highlighted the increasing sophistication of traffickers, who now use fraudulent job offers in the oil and gas sector as bait.
Although the collaboration between Nigeria and other countries, like the recently signed memorandum with The Gambia, will help to strengthen cross-border efforts in strengthening the fight against human trafficking, various stakeholders believe that more needs to be done to prevent trafficking before it occurs, particularly through public awareness and better economic opportunities for vulnerable populations.
The ongoing fight against human trafficking in Nigeria is a testament to the resilience of victims and the dedication of organizations like NAPTIP yet, the persistent and evolving nature of trafficking networks requires a sustained and multifaceted approach to truly make a difference.
As put succinctly by the 2023 US Department of State Trafficking in person report, the “Government of Nigeria does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period, considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, if any, on its anti-trafficking capacity; therefore Nigeria remained on Tier 2.
“These efforts included investigating more traffickers, including officials allegedly complicit in trafficking crimes, and increasing prosecutions and convictions; identifying more victims and referring all identified victims to care; and finalizing and implementing the handover protocol to refer child soldiers, including some trafficking victims, to care. The government updated its national referral mechanism, NRM, to include guidance on assisting persons with disabilities and adopted a disability inclusion plan to better serve trafficking victims.
“However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. Corruption remained a significant concern in the judiciary and immigration services, and it contributed to impunity for traffickers. The government did not investigate or prosecute any members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, CJTF, for prior forced recruitment or use of child soldiers; potential sex trafficking in government-run IDP camps continued,” the report said.
As recommended by that report, if the government efforts must yield sufficient positive results, then it must be ready to hold complicit officials as well as individuals affiliated with the government – including security officials and CJTF members – criminally accountable for trafficking offenses, including for the sex trafficking of IDPs and past forced recruitment or use of child soldiers, strengthen efforts to identify trafficking victims among vulnerable groups, such as children in religious schools, IDPs, returning migrants, and children in domestic service, facilitate training for local, state, and federal judges on human trafficking and the 2015 anti-trafficking law, specifically the provision prohibiting the issuance of fines in lieu of imprisonment in collaboration with international partners.
It also said that there was need to expand shelter capacity for identified victims in coordination with other government entities, civil society, NGOs, international organizations and the private sector, increase public awareness programming to educate more of the population on human trafficking indicators, enhance coordination between NAPTIP and Nigeria Police Force, NPF, on law enforcement efforts – and prosecute suspects while respecting the rights of the accused, identify and implement mechanisms to ensure victims are not inappropriately penalized solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked, increase the budget committed to NAPTIP and anti-trafficking efforts, increase efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers – especially labour traffickers, including those who force children to beg – and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms, as well as enhance methods of record keeping for trafficking cases, including data on convictions and sentencing.
According to the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, GLOTIP by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, there is an urgent need to take comprehensive measures to protect vulnerable groups and help child victims. This requires joint efforts at national and international level.
“States must prioritize the protection of children, strengthen laws, improve law enforcement and provide more resources to combat child trafficking.
“Preventive measures should focus on addressing root causes such as poverty and inequality. Particular attention should be paid to the trafficking of unaccompanied refugee minors. It is important to strengthen child protection networks and adapt criminal law to better meet the needs of children,” it said.
A.I
Sept. 8, 2024
Tags: Anthony Isibor Global Report on Trafficking in Persons GLOTIP human trafficking
