Foundation premieres flagship movie, Osato

Supports Fight Against Human Trafficking With Summit
As part of its commitment to curb the prevalent rise in human trafficking cases around the world, the GEPCare Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that focuses on reducing instances of human trafficking among young girls and women, recently premiered its flagship movie Osato, which tells the true-life story of a Nigerian teenage girl who was trafficked to Europe for sexual exploitation.

The movie premiere was part of a two-day summit that has as theme, ‘Getting Involved’, and held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dublin, Ireland. The objective of the summit was to educate and create awareness on the ills of human trafficking.

The event gathered key stakeholders, government and non-governmental bodies, embassies, and agencies from Ireland and Nigeria to discuss a roadmap that is gear to support the fight against human trafficking.
Speakers and panelists at the summit included Michael Flynn, a Senior Counsel at the Bar of Ireland; Folasade Ademiju, an advocate for Universal Youth Care; Amanda Keane of Ruhama, an NGO dedicated to supporting women affected by sexual exploitation; Paul Flynn and Sharon Byrne of the Crosscare AfterCare Hub, an organization that offers care and support to victims.

Others are CEO of Phase Innovate, Evelyn Nomayo, who presented ‘TraffiQap’, a mobile application developed to report cases of trafficking to authorities, and Esther Pepple Enolememen, who led an engaging workshop that highlighted the importance of frequent mental health checks in helping victims recover from the effects of trafficking.

Speaking on the importance of the film to society, Nigeria Ambassador to Republic of Ireland, Dr. Uzoma Emenike, emphasized the power of collaboration in contributing to the conversation.

He commended the efforts of the founders of the GEPCare Foundation, Debbie Gahan and Angela Ify Mojekwu-Egbera, who also produced the movie and ensured the success of the event. He also commended the community for giving their support to the event.

Expressing appreciation to partners, government and non-governmental agencies in Nigeria and Ireland that contributed to the success of the summit, Gahan commended the First Lady of Edo State, Mrs. Besty Obaseki, who she met in Benin City for providing shelter to victims of human trafficking.

She stated that she was inspired to actualize the summit when she visited the First Lady and the shelter, where she heard the harrowing ordeals of the victims.

On her part, Mojekwu-Egbera said the Foundation hopes to use the summit to advocate for the end of human trafficking and slavery. “We plan to create awareness around the world; we will premiere the movie and hold the seminar in Nigeria, the United Kingdom and the United States of America,” she added.

The two-hour film on the ordeal of individuals who have been affected by trafficking, captivated and left viewers empowered to effect change in the world.