Establish an early warning mechanism to combat human trafficking

Former UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, Professor Joy Ezeilo, has called on government at all levels to establish early warning mechanisms to end the pervasive and cross-border problem of human trafficking or of human trafficking in Nigeria.

Ezeilo, Executive Director of Women Aid Collective and Senior Advocate for Nigeria (SAN), said this in a statement issued in Enugu on Saturday, reacting to the trending video of young Nigerian girls, mainly from Imo State, being victimized trafficking for the purposes of forced prostitution. in neighboring Ghana.

Establishing an early warning system, she said, will help identify cases where girls disappear from school, fail to enroll in school or live outside family care, while urging government at all levels to implement urgent measures to address the root causes and reduce the vulnerabilities of young girls.

She said: “Watching the trending video of young Nigerian girls, mainly from Imo State, being trafficked for forced prostitution to neighboring Ghana is a stark reminder of the pervasive and cross-border problem of human trafficking human or human trafficking. »

Ezeilo revealed that from 2008 to 2014, when she served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, she met Nigerians being trafficked or living as irregular migrants in almost 100 countries she visited in the part of its global mission.

“In Africa, one in four trafficked people is Nigerian, making it the country most affected by trafficking. This problem remains prevalent across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Edo State was once considered the epicenter of human trafficking, but this is no longer the case.

“Nigerian women, children and men are vulnerable to transnational or cross-border human trafficking, primarily to Europe and Africa, as well as to other parts of the world, including Asia and the Americas. Human trafficking knows no borders,” she lamented.

“When I was the United Nations Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, from 2008 to 2014, I met with Nigerians being trafficked or living as irregular migrants in almost 100 countries that I visited as part of my global mission.

“The main reasons for this trend are increasing poverty, unemployment, inequality, gender-based violence, lack of access to education, ignorance, conflict and displacement. »

However, she explained that the most common form of human trafficking is sexual exploitation, which she said accounts for 79% of cases, with girls being the most frequent victims of sexual exploitation.

“The current economic situation in Nigeria fuels human trafficking, migrant smuggling and risky migration, including the “Japa” syndrome.

“I strongly urge government at all levels to implement urgent measures to address the root causes, particularly to reduce the vulnerabilities of young girls. It is important to put in place early warning mechanisms to identify cases where girls disappear from school, fail to enroll in school, or live outside of family care.

“In addition, we must address unsuitable working environments that increase the vulnerability of women and children to trafficking. This includes situations where girls work as waitresses in restaurants, hotels and brothels while under the age of 18 or when they work as apprentices in specific high-risk jobs and environments.

“Stop human trafficking and dangerous migration now. End impunity for traffickers through effective prosecutions and sanctions. Join NAPTIP and others, including WACOL, to eradicate human trafficking and unsafe migration in Nigeria.