BENIN CITY – The Benin Zonal Commander, National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP), Mrs Cordilia Ebiringa said community dialogue has become a potent instrument in the fight against human trafficking.
Speaking at a community dialogue session with relevant stakeholders in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area, Edo State, she said its effectiveness lies in the fact that all stakeholders within the community are involved in deliberations that try to bring an end to human trafficking in targeted communities.
NAPTIP organized the session in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), with funding by the European Union (EU).
The NAPTIP Act mandates it to collaborate with relevant stakeholders in the fight against Human Trafficking and Child Labour in Nigeria for the purpose of ensuring its elimination and prevention of the root causes of the problems of Trafficking in Persons.
The dialogue session is meant to establish synergy between NAPTIP/UNDOC and the stakeholders in the locality, as well as establish collaborative strategies for a proactive Trafficking and Child Labour in the area.
In such dialogue, she said, “stakeholders like the Odionwere/Village Heads, market women, youth leaders, farmers, religious leaders, vigilance leaders are involved in the dialogue.”
According to her, dialogue on human trafficking was first held in July/August 2010 in three communities in the three Senatorial Districts of the state.
She said frank and open discussions were held by all stakeholders and suggestions proffered by participants on steps to eradicate human trafficking.
The session, she added culminated in the setting up of awareness committees to ensure that trafficking does not take place and when it does, to report to NAPTIP for intervention.
Mrs. Ebiringa told stakeholders at the dialogue session that to effectively tackle the problems of human trafficking, the federal government of Nigeria enacted to Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015 (as amended) and established NAPTIP.
Since establishment, she said the agency, beside being in the forefront in anti-trafficking crusade, has also succeeded in bringing many traffickers to book.
At a one-day stakeholders meeting with representatives of government registered transport companies in Edo State, Mrs. Ebiringa said the fight against Trafficking in Persons is the responsibility of all stakeholders.
In a lecture titled: “Responsibility of airline, commercial carriers, tour operators and travel agents,” an Assistant Director, Research and Programme Development, NAPTIP, Abuja, Mr. Godwin Morka said NAPTIP law does not protect anyone who knowingly offers his/her property, including right title or vehicle of any type to promote Trafficking in Persons (TIP).
He told the transport operators that the fight against TIP not only requires the collective commitment of all stakeholders, but also requires transport operators to be NAPTIP ambassadors, especially in spreading Human trafficking messages to their customers.
Mr. Morka also urged them to develop an attitude of checking and questioning their passengers.