The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has given awards worth $5,000 to winners of the just-concluded third edition of its annual Young Nigerians Short Films Contest on Combating Trafficking in Persons in Nigeria.
Presenting the prizes to the three winners on Thursday in Abuja, Deputy Chief of Mission at IOM Nigeria, Pace Paola, said that public awareness of the dangers of trafficking is central to winning the war against transnational crime.
She noted that if people, especially at the local level, are aware of the dangers and understand that traffickers are usually people we know and not strangers, they would be able to spot the red flags and stay safe.
“We need to reduce the number of those lured into these false promises. Storytelling and the role we each play, especially the media, is critical.
“So I’m really proud of these young people who told realistic stories, stories we have seen in decades of work to eradicate this crime,” she said.
Pace pointed to the importance of a multipronged approach to eradicate the scourge of trafficking in persons and expose perpetrators who feast on public ignorance and trample on human rights, taking advantage of them for personal gains.
Pace said, “To eradicate trafficking, you need to work on the prevention side and the prosecution side.
“Traffickers do this terrible thing because of the money involved; it is a billion-dollar syndicate, so freezing of bank accounts will take back the networks and using that money for the survivor to thrive is essential.”
According to her, the third edition of the annual competition has seen an increase in submissions from young Nigerians, which is a positive indicator that Nigerian youth are joining the fight against crime.
“Compared to the first time in 2023, we got even more submissions. We started with 40 submissions in 2023, then increased to 50, and now we have 80 submissions. So there’s more interest from young Nigerians also to join the counter-trafficking path,” she added.
Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Binta Bello, noted that human trafficking is a significant problem in Nigeria, which is why the federal government is harnessing partnerships with stakeholders to tackle the challenge.
Represented by the Director of Public Enlightenment of the agency, Kehinde Akomolafe, she said, “The IOM has supported us in the rehabilitation, return, and reintegration of victims of human trafficking. They have also helped us to empower so many of them.
“The essential thing is for everyone to know that human trafficking is real and to know there is an agency that has been established to end this scourge. Most of the time, people become victims due to their ignorance and vulnerabilities. The more we discuss it, the more people become aware, making it a continuous effort. We must increase our awareness creation interventions and also break the culture of silence.
Emerging in first place in the contest is Babalola Oluwatobi, who received a $2,500 award prize. Second place went to Jayeoba David, who took home a $1,500 award prize, while Ndulue Chukwunonso came in third place with a $1,000 award prize.
Speaking on behalf of the winners, Babalola Oluwatobi encouraged young, talented Nigerians to take advantage of the opportunity presented by the IOM to contribute their quota towards ending the scourge of human trafficking.
“I think the aspect of advocacy is key for people to get the right message around how to relate to information that is likely to put you in danger. It calls for serious attention.
“People should look out for and pay attention to close friends, family members and all, who are actually the people in the front line of engineering these acts or even carrying them out,” he explains.
