Human Trafficking: A Manace that Need to be Addressed -By Fatima Abdurrahman Muhammad

Human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of people through force, coercion, or deception, exploiting them for profit.

Trafficking in human beings, especially women and girls, is a complex, multifaceted problem affecting not only Nigeria but whole African countries.

According to a research carried out by National Agency for prohibition of trafficking in person (NAPTIP) Reported” about 1,109 victims of human trafficking were identified, as 624 were cases of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation and 328 for labour exploitation similarly, statistics given by National Crime record Bureau in 2016,claims that more than 80,000 of human trafficking cases were reported in India, and the number has been in the rise with each passing year.

UNESCO in 2006, has reported that Nigeria has acquired a reputation for being one of the leading African countries in human trafficking with cross-border and internal trafficking.

One of heartbreaking human trafficking case that comes to my mind involves of a girl in Yadakwara, Garun Malam local government, a devastating incident that shook the community.

Lami, a 15year old girl, was deceived by a trusted teacher who promised her parents that she had secured a university scholarship. The teacher convinced them that Lami needed to travel to the city for processing her scholarship and that he would accompany her, as she was too young to go alone. Blindly trusting the teacher, Lami’s parents handed over money for transportation. However, the teacher vanished with Lami, leaving her parents anxiously waiting, when the teacher failed to return, Lami’s parents reported the incident to the Garun Malam police, who transfer the case to police headquarter, Bompai. After relentless efforts, the teacher was apprehended and confessed that he sold Lami to a woman and had already taken her out of the country for labor.

After a long investigation, the woman responsible was caught and confessed. Sadly, Lami’s story wasn’t the only one. She admitted to trafficking many vulnerable girls, forcing them into domestic work abroad.

Recently, Daily trust report on human trafficking case involving children in kebbi state as some of the victims were been intercepted by officials of NAPTIP.

While speaking to journalists, the state Commander of NAPTIP, Misbau Iyan Kaura, says:”the traffickers usually moved the children to their hideout in Zamfara State from where they were moved to Calabar”
” Upon investigation we found that some of the children had been sexually abused. Three people had been arrested and we will ensure their prosecution” he added

The United Nations Human Rights Officer addresses the issue of trafficking through the lens of the human rights-based approach as it stems from international human rights conventions and other international legal framework.

By providing emotional support and listening ears, connect survivors with local resources and advocate for survivor_centred policies we can all together eradicate human trafficking.