NAPTIP scales up digital campaign to stem tide of trafficking

*Secures 17 convictions since in 2023

To further boost strategic interventions targeted at controlling the scourge of human trafficking in Nigeria, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, (NAPTIP), has again partnered with the Canadian High Commission in Nigeria to intensify its digital campaign and scale visibility of the agency and its partners through the deployment of e-learning, (electronic learning), hub as a depository for counter human trafficking knowledge.

Director-General, NAPTIP, Professor Fatima Waziri-Azi, made this known at a joint press conference between the agency and the Canadian High Commission, yesterday in Abuja.

She said the e-hub is part of the new project born out of the partnership designed to progressively tackle human trafficking especially amongst young people in rural areas and urban poor communities as these categories of people are most at risk.

According to her, the partnership has further reinforced the fact that “We can only win this fight by working together with a common vision and this partnership will enable Nigeria to keep pace with an accelerated world and also set the pace for other nations to follow in this global fight against human trafficking.”

“We expect activities under this project, the second phase of NAPTIP on The Move Campaign, to be impactful and they include, redesigning and redeveloping the NAPTIP iReport mobile app, a tool for reporting cases of human trafficking, child labour and violence against persons crimes hence this partnership with the Canadian High Commission is valuable to support the crusade.

“The app will provide on-time, real-time information on cases, the location of the reporter and the suspect. There will also be an offline community-based sensitization campaign in endemic parts of the country and along known trafficking and smuggling routes,” she explained.

Waziri-Azi further said another component of the project is the capacity building for NAPTIP public enlightenment and public relations officers on how to design informed and age-appropriate messages targeting specific audiences to scale awareness empower and motivate individuals and organizations to action to reduce the scourge.

She adds that “We already have 17 convictions for 2023 and cumulatively, the agency has secured 592 convictions since its first conviction in 2004 and to keep up with the evolving trend in human trafficking, the Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Enforcement and Administrative Act, (TIPPEA), of 2015, is currently undergoing amendment at the National Assembly to incorporate current trends in human trafficking.

Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador James Christoff said the issue of human trafficking is a global concern but in Nigeria, the scale is large in Nigeria therefore the partnership of the government of Canada with NAPTIP, domestic law enforcement agencies and other international partners aims to combat criminal human trafficking organisations. He said “The Canadian Government works diligently with both law enforcement agencies, and international partners as well as with source and transit countries to combat criminal trafficking organizations that prey on the desperation and vulnerability of others.

“In Nigeria specifically, we are working closely with NAPTIP as well as national partners to fully detect, deter and dismantle human trafficking networks operating in this country and also to prevent these crimes from happening in the first place,’ he said.