Speaking at the two-day training in Minna, Niger State, the Director General of NAPTIP, Mrs. Beatrice Jedy-Agba, seek close ties with journalists to tame the rising cases of human trafficking.

Her words: “Our requests from the media partners are very simple. We need you all to join hands with the Agency to fight this phenomenon so that our children and society at large can have peace. This could be in form of sustained media reportage of the activities of the Agency; coming up with good human interest stories that are capable of eliciting empathy for victims of the scourge; Naming and shaming the traffickers; and advising the Agency when the need arises. Also, the Agency will be happy to see you writing more features and magazine stories on human trafficking and its effects on society and the people so as to properly bring the problem to public domain.”

She hinted that in line with NAPTIP strategic plan, it will establish a Media Focus Group (MFG) which would be used as a veritable platform for a robust relationship between the Agency and journalists that report issues of human trafficking in Nigeria. She explained that under the platform, it becomes easier for the Agency to build a working relationship based on mutual trust and respect.

The NAPTIP boss stressed that trafficking in human beings, especially women and girls, is not new, saying, “it is a complex, multi-faceted phenomenon involving multiple stakeholders at the institutional and commercial levels with a huge market for cheap labour and commercial sex. Specifically, the untold stories and sad tales that have punctuated issues of human trafficking across the globe and precisely in the sub-Sahara Africa, have further ruptured our emotion and propelled us to ensure that this menace is minimized if not eradicated. It is our conviction that this fight cannot be won alone without the collective support of the various stakeholders among whom is the media community.”

The further stated that human trafficking is a complex type of crime that requires proper understanding on the part of the media to enable them report appropriately and to ensure accurate reportage that is capable of eliciting the right emotions from members of the public.

She added: “Prevention of human trafficking cannot be effective if the media does not join us in sounding this warning through anti-trafficking messages aimed at raising awareness of this crime.