Hindi Livinus December 29, 2011 06:16PM |
The minister for Foreign Affairs, Nurudeen Muhammed has accused the nation’s security agencies of culpability over the increasing rate of human trafficking in persons and child labour, by providing cover to perpetrators of these criminal acts through lax security checks, resulting in the easy passage of trafficked persons along Nigeria’s international borders.
Mr Muhammed, who spoke at a sensitization workshop organised in Yola at the Banquet Hall of the Government House on Wednesday, said trafficking in persons and other illicit trans-border crimes of human slavery tarnished the image of the country.
Mr Muhammed who is the minister of state II for Foreign Affairs, also attributed the porosity of the borders, illiteracy, poverty, greed and the insatiable zeal to get-rich quick among youth in the country as another factor that was responsible for trafficking in persons and child labour.
Muhammed told participants at the sensitization workshop that most of the time, those behind the heinous crimes are abetted by the activities of some unscrupulous security officers that make it easy for the traffickers to elude capture by offering them cover.
In some cases, he pointed the traffickers get to issue the security agents at the borders with fake documents which are neither properly checked nor verified thereby ensuring the easy passage of their victims along the international borders or checkpoints, adding that the consequences of the crime, whose proceeds are in millions of dollars, was however inimical to both national development and sub- regional integration efforts.
“It was in realization of this that the authority of heads of state and government of ECOWAS endorsed a plan of action against trafficking in persons,” Muhammed said.
In the minister words, “We are aware that Nigeria is a source, transit and destination country of trafficking in persons. Being a source country, Nigeria has witnessed the deceitful migration of virile youths to western countries in search of a seemingly non-existent greener pasture. Many of these trafficked persons especially women and children have been forced into prostitution which exposes them to social and health hazards. Others are equally forced to work in farm plantations and as house-helps with little or no wages. These victims of human trafficking are from most of the states in the federation of which Adamawa is inclusive”.
According to the minister, the plan provided policy and administrative guidelines to enable member states articulate and implement a robust national legislation against trafficking in persons.
It further emphasized the need to build the capacity of the law enforcement agencies, ensure security and judicial reform, encourage an extensive enlightenment programmes at the grassroots and promote international co-operation among others.
The minister reiterated that Nigeria has remained committed to the implementation of the sub-regional initiatives, even as the country has ratified the United Nations Protocol on Human Trafficking.
Dr Muhammed maintained that to further demonstrate Nigeria’s commitment to the implementation of the sub-regional initiatives, the country also enacted anti-human trafficking law, established a functional institution, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in persons and other related matters, sustained enlightenment campaigns and improved law enforcement.
Also the permanent secretary, ministry of foreign affairs. Ambassador Martins Uhumoibhi, said the ministry of foreign affairs attached great importance to the sensitization campaign against human trafficking and child labour because it viewed it as crime against humanity and “another form of modern day slavery” which the government is determined to eradicate.
According to him “the attendant human suffering, not only brings enormous consular problems to our missions abroad, but also negative image to the country.”
Furthermore, Uhumoibhi said that his ministry will not rest until it educates people about the evil of the crime on both the victims and the society at large. The measures being taken accordingly is to reach out to members of the society by persuading parents, community leaders, security agencies and potential victims to apply themselves more seriously to combating the crime.
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