Ministry, NAPTIP join forces against human trafficking in Lagos
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Dr Olugbemiga Ayoola Aina, has pledged to collaborate with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and CLEEN Foundation to tackle human trafficking, prostitution and child labour in the state.
Aina made this known during a meeting between the Lagos State Zonal Coordinator, NAPTIP, Mr Aganran Ganiyu and members of CLEEN Foundation on the gender audit report, which captured protection services and shelters in Lagos State for the prevention of forced migration, trafficking of women and girls in Nigeria.
Aina stated that human trafficking had become an endemic problem in Nigeria, and Lagos State had been a melting point for traffickers whose cause could also be linked to societal ills.
“This is a bold effort to identify all the stakeholders that can contribute to its control and I am happy that these NGOs are collaborating with Lagos State via the Ministry of Youth and Social Development and also the Ministry of Justice. Whereby, we identify the different stakeholders, create more awareness and tackle issues in the state,” he said.
A synopsis of the gender audit report on human trafficking carried out on July 2020 and presented to the ministry by the Assistant Programme Officer, CLEEN, Segun Ayodele, revealed that security agencies were still struggling with funds to carry out duties due to low budgetary allocations, slow court proceedings which caused delay to the conclusion of cases and low knowledge about the uniform referral mechanisms/guidelines or uniformed data collation template on trafficking within the state.
Speaking on the report, which seeks to set the pace for policy and decision making on trafficking in Lagos, Mr Aganran said: “All what this collaboration is after is to have all our children in Lagos State safe, protected and assisted, especially the vulnerable, when they are met with trafficking issues and when they are abused or violated.”
