NEWS analysis By Kadiri Abdulrahman, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
“My name is Gift Jonathan, three years ago I was a single mother with two children living with my widowed mother. Things were so hard that when my friend told me about traveling to Germany, I agreed.
“We only made it to Libya where I was sold, raped and tortured. I saw many Nigerians die, including my friend Iniobong. When I was eventually deported, I was ashamed and depressed. Luckily I met people who registered me in a vocational centre and encouraged me.
“Today I am a baker in Benin, making enough money to take care of my family.’’
That was the personal experience of a victim of human trafficking, and it briefly summaries what young Nigerian girls, and sometimes, boys experience in their sojourn to seek greener pastures abroad.
Gift narrated her story in Abuja, during the formal presentation of the UK Aid funded Not for Sale Initiative.
The initiative is a collaboration between UK Aid and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to eradicate human trafficking in Nigeria, starting with prevalent states of Edo and Delta.
The Not for Sale Initiative is a direct intervention by UK Aid, through the Department for International Development (DFID) to tackle the growing scourge of human trafficking, forced labour, organ harvest, among others.
Gift said that the desire for a so called “better life” abroad leads to many bad choices.
She commended the UK Aid intervention to rehabilitate and empower victims of human trafficking, mainly girls from Edo and Delta.
“But an initiative like Not for Sale should be sought after, as one which shines a light on the need for self-empowerment and belief in local development rather than a false promise, “she said.
Many victims of human trafficking, who came out alive, and spoke at the occasion recounted their harrowing experiences.
They were supported by UK Aid to set up their businesses.
Ms Julie Okah-Donli, the Director-General of NAPTIP, explained that Not for Sale Initiative, was designed to inspire and empower young women in Edo and Delta states, to eke a living locally instead of going abroad.
Okah-Donli said that a large number of Nigerian women who seek prosperity abroad ended up being trafficked
“Approximately 80 per cent of Nigerian women who take the dangerous journey overseas end up being trafficked and forced into prostitution.
“The Not for Sale Initiative thus provides these women with the support services that enable them to seek training and opportunities in Nigeria,” she said.
Okah-Donli said that the campaign provided a platform for stakeholders to forge common ground in enlightening vulnerable young women on the potential dangers of falling prey to false promises of a better life abroad.
The NAPTIP director-general urged state governments to empower women in rural areas through effective skills acquisition, to enable them impact positively on their communities.
She lamented the plight of about 20,000 Nigerian girls trapped in different parts of Mali and being forced into prostitution.
She said that the trafficked victims were discovered after NAPTIP sent a fact-finding mission to Mali last December, following some security reports.
She urged parents to take keener interest in the activities of their children and wards, while assuring that most of the victims, when rescued, would benefit from the Not for Sale Initiative.
”We sent a fact-finding mission to Mali in December, 2018, and the mission came with a report that, about 20,000 Nigerian girls had been trafficked to different parts of Mali.
“Many of the girls said that they were deceived that, they were being taken to “Malisia”, making it sound like Malaysia, to work in hotels, restaurants, hairdressing salons and some other jobs.
“Some of the girls arrived there in their school uniforms, meaning that they were kidnapped on their way to or from school, but we are now making concerted efforts to ensure that they are rescued and brought back to Nigeria.
“Many of those girls will benefit from this UK Aid sponsored initiative,” she assured.
She assured that the Nigerian authorities were collaborating with their Malian counterparts as well as the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), to rescue and rehabilitate the victims, most of whom were eager to return.
“Most of the girls are desirous of returning home and we are working with the IOM, the Malian government and the Nigerian Embassy in Mali to see how we can repatriate them.
“Trafficking increases by at least, 500 girls daily, they bring them in their hundreds and now, they waybill them through well-known motor parks in Cotonou.
“It also cuts across all 36 states of Nigeria and happens all over the world. It is no longer about the Edo girls being trafficked to Italy.
“I urge Nigerians to be alert and sensitive about their surroundings; they should report suspicious movements to the authorities, especially at our border posts,’’ she said.
Mrs Imabong Sanusi, Executive Director, Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), said the plight of trafficked victims and irregular migrants now transcended forced labour and sexual exploitation.
“Apart from forced labour and sexual exploitation, some Nigerians are now trafficked for organ harvesting, slave trade and for ritual purposes
“Traffickers are wicked and callous; they make so much money by exploiting vulnerable women and children,’’ she said.
The Deputy Head of EU, Mr Richard Young, urged migrants to shun irregular migrations and always endeavour to travel legally.
“The subject of migration is very sensitive, it is something that occupies the minds of our leaders, and it has many different dimensions like the good, the bad and the ugly.
“There are good sides to migration; people have to travel to work in other places; it is all about mobility and exchange.
“There is also the bad side, when people travel illegally, when they deliberately overstay their visas, they break immigration rules in their host countries.
“The ugly side has to do with human trafficking and about slavery, when people risk their lives just to travel to other places. We should take actions to minimise the bad and eliminate the ugly,’’ he said.
Mrs Moji Sodeinde, the Head of International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in Nigeria, also said that it was important to sensitise young Nigerians, especially school girls because human trafficking activities also occur in schools.
“Confirmed cases have revealed that school- age children are being trafficked; that trafficking activities occur on school premises; that trafficking occurs during school sponsored events and that traffickers often recruit students as agents,’’ she said.
According to available information on its website, UK Aid is a 5-year, £150 million programme designed to improve the lives of “the world’s poorest people’’ with aid from the UK Government.
Funded by the DFID, UK Aid was established in 2014 as a successor to the Global Poverty Action Fund (GPAF), which was created in 2010, and its funding is expected to continue until 2020.
The Not for Sale Initiative which started in 2000,has supported about 35,000 survivors and at-risk individuals across the globe. (NANFEATURES)
