National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, (NAPTIP) has taken its public awareness campaign for the elimination of Sexual and Gender Based Violence, (SGBV) to secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Abuja.

Inaugurating an SGBV and Trafficking in Persons Vanguard, (club), at Government Girls’ Secondary School, (GGSS), Dutse in Bwari Area Council, yesterday in Abuja, Director General NAPTIP, Professor Fatima Waziri-Azi, said the 16 days activism against SGBV as stipulated by the United Nations, provides the platform for a United front to fight a major scourge in the society.

Highlighting the theme for this year’s celebration, Unite: Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls, she said the agency is in the school to make the students ambassadors in the fight against SGBV and Trafficking in Persons.

“NAPTIP by law is the agency that is given the responsibility to implement the Violence Against Persons Prohibition, (VAPP), Act and the Trafficking in Persons Prohibition, Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015, and this empowers us to prosecute SGBV offenders.

Represented by the Director Public Enlightenment,Dr. Ebele Ulasi, she said “We are here to enlighten you on the 16 days activism and to make you ambassadors of trafficking in persons and SGBV and we here to establish a Vanguard in your school.

“The 25th of November is the international day against SGBV and it end in December 20tu which is the international Human Rights Day so you can see how important it is,” she said.

Principal of the school, Dr. Fatima Muhammed, said the enlightenment campaign “will help the girl child to understand that she has the right to voice out against any gender based violence and at the same time, she will understand not to falsified information but to tell the truth must just be what should be exploited. This enlightenment is a build up that will give us the courage to correct the anomalies in our society”

Responding to questions on some of the innovation put forth by students of the school in the area of art and craft, Dr. Muhammed said “Our girls are bold, we are fearless, we take challenges and we are innovative.Let us all orient ourselves on this issue at all times and we appreciate NAPTIP for this enlightenment.”

Speaking on the importance of the 16 days activism enlightenment campaign by NAPTIP on students, President of the school, Miss. Afolabi Purity-Osafore, called on government at all levels to ensure that still penalties are meted on perpetrators of SGBV.

“There should be serious punishment for all those offenders and government should empower the girl child so that she will be able to harness all her potential to full capacity,” she said.

Also speaking Miss Justin Peculiar-Ndiziviya, Minister of Social Affairs of the school, said “The establishment of the new club here in school will help in enlightening students. We wil also in turn enlighten other students that do not know about it whenever we go for outside programmes.”