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Nigeria has, over the last two decades, been bedevilled by myriad of problems. Most of the problems can be attributed to the pervasiveness of some of the ills that hamper the attainment of even a modicum of good governance. And, in most cases, the ills are evidenced by the act of wanton profligacy among the political leadership which continues to pauperise the citizens.
The advent of the current democratic process has done a lot to return the country to the comity of nations, as hopes rose that the squalor, penury, deprivations and many of the obstacles to human development would be ended and a period of bliss and prosperity will ensue. Unfortunately, the optimism that heralded the return of democracy after decades of military dictatorship and adventurism has, to a very large extent, given way to despair and gloom even among the greatest optimists.
As a result of the ills that currently hamper the development of the country, human trafficking has become widespread and now occupies a pre-eminent position among the ills that pervade the Nigerian society. While it may appear that the problem seem endemic in the Southern parts of the country, there are indications that no part of the country is immune from this social malaise that has ravaged many communities.
There are an estimated 80 million child workers across Africa and the figure could rise to 100 million by 2015. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) recently estimated that over 12 million Nigerian children are engaged in child labour. The survey also estimated that over 10,000 Nigerians were engaged in prostitution in Italy which constitutes about 60 percent of all prostitutes in the Italian sex market. Most of these women and girls are initially trafficked victims. The lucrative nature of the illicit trade, in providing bountiful harvest to the traffickers, while subjecting the trafficked to gloom and despair, seems to explain the booming profile of the criminal act.
The Illela border town in Sokoto state has become a strategic route for the human traffickers to carry out their nefarious activities. In fact, the victims, who are mostly young girls, are trafficked through Illela town en route Niger Republic, through Libya to Europe. Indeed, the profound criminality of the trafficking crime is evident in the fact that these under-aged girls who were hitherto promised good jobs and prosperity, end up doing arduous, risky and poorly paid jobs. They become not only prone to physical assault and molestations, but may also be used as objects of sex and for other forms of lewdness.
Ignorance is easily the biggest tool traffickers use to get their victims. With promises of good jobs and prosperity, victims are easily lured and parents who are already under the heavy burden of economic hardships agree without a thought. But the National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP) is making frantic efforts to educate people on the ills of human trafficking as a way of steaming the menace. And, as part of these efforts, the agency organised a workshop in Sokoto recently.
Speaking at the workshop, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bagudu Hirse attributed the increase in trafficking in persons and child labour to porous borders, poverty as well as the zeal to get rich-quick among the youths. He noted that thousands of Nigerians have become victims of this nefarious trans-national organised crime, which has not only posed great health hazards to the people but has also affected the nation’s international image.
Hirse observed that Nigeria has witnessed migration of virile youths to western countries in search of non-existent greener pasture, lamenting that many of these illegal migrants, especially women have been forced into prostitution, have been exposed to social and health hazards. Similarly, trafficked children are being exploitatively used as cheap labour in farms, plantations and as domestic servants in homes.
The Minister however noted that the commission of this heinous crime, in some cases, is facilitated by unscrupulous security officers, who provide cover and issue fake documents to ensure easy passage for the victims along our international borders. According to him, the negative effects of this crime, whose proceeds are in billions of dollars, are inimical to national development and sub-regional integration efforts.
He added that in order to address the ugly trend, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has entered into a joint action plan with the Economic Community of Central African States to tackle the menace of trafficking in persons especially women and children. He challenged state governments to ensure adequate increase in the enrolment of children in schools so that the children would not be used as child-labourers.
Also speaking, the Sokoto Zonal Head of the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Mr Shehu Omar said rapid urbanisation, low literacy levels and high school-drop out rates are some of the reasons why many Nigerian children are vulnerable to trafficking. He noted that parents with large families are prone to the traffickers’ deceit and promises of a better life for the children.
According to him, the amended NAPTIP Act 2005, stipulates that no child under the age of 18 years should be employed as part of a ‘domestic staff’ outside his or her family environment, pointing out that the essence of this provision is to fortify the rights of the child as provided in the Child Rights Act and to ensure full mental and physical development of a child. He maintained that the Act is not meant to destroy the African traditional foster system but rather to supplement the African value for the protection of the vulnerable in the society especially the ‘Almajiri’ child.
Omar noted that the demand for cheap commercial sex workers in destination countries, especially Europe, strongly contributes to the growth of the phenomenon and the success of the criminal network. He stated that since the creation of the Sokoto Zonal office, about 60 suspected traffickers have been arrested while 573 victims were also rescued, adding that 24 victims were empowered. He further explained that the zonal office has secured 22 convictions and called on stakeholders to join hands with the agency so that modern day slavery can be eradicated in the Nigerian society.
In his remarks, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Usmanu Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, Dr Muhammad Zaiyan Umar attributed the high incidence of human trafficking to poverty as evidenced by the inability of many people to feed, cloth and meet requirements of basic and decent living. He explained that this was why all kinds of vices including prostitution, thuggery, drug abuse and trafficking are thriving. He linked the menace to the failure of the state to provide economic and social safety nets for its poor, adding that, “it is no wonder that due to this deficit, a promise for job outside the country, mostly with false pretence for some in Europe elicits frenzied responses from not a few parents, who see it as the golden opportunity to move out of the humiliating pangs of poverty.”
Umar described illiteracy as part of the problem that further exacerbated human trafficking in the country, pointing out that the educational profile in Nigeria has remained so precarious that six years to the 2015 MDGs target year, not many Nigerians believe that the millennium development goals on education are feasible due to faulty design and implementation of educational policies.
According to him, demands for cheap labour further worsened the menace of human trafficking, as it gives not only cheap labour to homes and factories, but ensures that the victims become submissive to their bosses in ways that denigrate their fundamental freedom. He lamented that porous borders also pose considerable problems as they make detection and apprehension not only difficult but risky.
The university don noted that attempts by government at combating the menace of human trafficking through ratification and adoption of international legislations such as United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Law Enforcement and Administration Act 2003 and the Child rights Act 2003 have not yielded the desired objectives.
He therefore stressed the need for the federal government to ensure free education at all levels in the country, as a means of curbing illiteracy and poverty. “Since functional education imparts skills that could be deployed in the quest for economical survival, its attainment remains important for individual and societal well being. And this must be promoted in the task of preventing the menace of human trafficking and child exploitation”, Umar averred.
It is indeed well acknowledged that government alone cannot win the battle against human trafficking and child labour. Thus, it has become pertinent for civil society, comprising of international organisations, non governmental organisations, youth organisations, women groups as well as other professional groups in the society to complement the efforts of the government through awareness campaigns, as a means of curbing the ugly trend. They could also do so through counselling and other services that not only discourage the act, but also rehabilitate victims of human trafficking. And, the NAPTIP workshop was a good starting point.
THISDAY ONLINE / Nigeria news / African views on global news
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