A nonprofit organization called Live Abundantly has expressed worry about how innocent people including children are being tricked and forced into human trafficking via the use of the Internet and other digital platforms.
In order to tackle this new trend, the organization’s founder, Dr. Ama Onyerinma, emphasized that cooperation amongst all important stakeholders including the international media is essential.
Ama made the call before Tuesday’s “Walk Against Human Trafficking” sensitisation exercise, which was arranged to celebrate the annual United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
The National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons’ Lagos zonal office served as the starting point for the annual road walk that the NGO and its partners participated in.
Starting from Oba Ladejobi Street, GRA, Lagos, the walk went past Computer Village, Ikeja Under Bridge, and ended at the zonal office of NAPTIP.
Ama stated shortly before the road walk started, “Today is the day of awareness, but I think today should be the day where we work on certain actionable goals to prevent it while still increasing awareness.
But (we must) also find ways to be accountable for our children, and accountability means that we have to safeguard our children and make them a priority.
“They (children) get coerced and there is so much misinformation. Much of these are being done online. The traffickers have taken to online and digitalised platforms to learn and coerce children and adults. There is still much work to be done.
“The significance of this rally is the education of the parents. If we can get more parents and caretakers to recognise the children as a priority and that they should not, under any circumstances, expose them to traffickers, then we would have done just a small percentage.”
The Director of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ Lagos Field Office, Godwin Bwire emphasized that unless the underlying issues are tackled head-on, human trafficking will continue.
“Human trafficking is a continuous (challenge) in Nigeria because of the vulnerability of its people. We must continue to educate them, support and improve their livelihood. At the end of the day, it mitigates human trafficking. We have to continue to do advocacy,” Bwire said.
During his speech, Alex Oturu, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons’ South-West Coordinator said.
“Human trafficking is a significant issue in the context of migration. Many Nigerians are being trafficked both domestically and internationally.
“It is important that we raise awareness on a day like this so that people can have an idea of what is happening. A lot of Nigerians find themselves involved in trafficking without even knowing it.”
