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NAPTIP seeks rehabilitation of human trafficking victims

By Collins Olayinka, Abuja
15 March 2016   |   1:11 am
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has charged European Union (EU) to always carry out due diligent screening of illegal migrants in their countries before repatriation...

Female-child-trafficking

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has charged European Union (EU) to always carry out due diligent screening of illegal migrants in their countries before repatriation, in order to ensure that rescued victims of human trafficking do not suffer untold hardships in Europ.

The Acting Director-General of NAPTIP, Abdulrazak Dangiri made the call in Abuja while playing host to a delegation from the European Union member States who were at the Office to share ideas on issues of migration between Nigeria and Europ.

He explained that the Protocol to suppress and punish trafficking in persons, which supplements the United Nations Convention on Organised Crimes recommends protection and assistance to victims of human trafficking across the globe by member States irrespective of their immigration status.

Dangiri added: “Victims of human trafficking are not criminals. Therefore, there is the need to provide what is called customized rehabilitation package for them so that they are not vulnerable to being re-trafficked after they returned to their home countries.”

The NAPTIP boss, who lamented the alarming rate of illegal Nigerian migrants in Europe, which the delegation put at 30, 000 in 2015 as against 25, 000 in 2014, told the delegation that the Agency would require a comprehensive analysis of the figures with a view to knowing those that are victims of human trafficking so as to be able to attend to them in line with the global standards and best practices.

While calling for a joint intelligence and information sharing on human trafficking as a precursor to combating the scourge properly, the Acting Director- General expressed the readiness of the Agency to collaborate with the visiting delegation and other countries where Nigerian Victims are, to ensure the wellbeing of such victims and the prosecution of traffickers.

Other issues raised at the meeting included the need to actively involve NAPTIP in the reintegration programme of the foreign partners; the need for effective criminal justice system that would ensure the repatriation of human trafficking suspects abroad to face prosecution at home; as well as the capacity development for officers of the Agency and its collaborating stakeholders.

Earlier, Head of the delegation, Winiarska Helena, had informed the NAPTIP Acting Director – General that the team was in Nigeria in line with the common agenda on migration and mobility cooperation reached by Nigeria and member States of the European Union in March, 2015.

She revealed that the European Union was particularly concerned with the influx of illegal migrants which now constitute both social and security threat to the region.

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