NAPTIP, ICMPD partner to combat human trafficking in Edo

By Jethro Ibileke

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), has held a sensitisation and capacity-building training for principals and coordinators of School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard in Edo.

The two-day programme which commenced on Thursday in Benin, the state capital, was held in conjunction with International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), under its Schol Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP).

Participants were drawn from 50 selected schools across the state.

Speaking at the event, the Director-General of NAPTIP, Hajia Binta Adamu-Bello, disclosed that the programme was intended to raise the capacity of principals and teachers in the issue of human trafficking, to enable them teach them to their students.

Adamu-Bello who was represented by NAPTIP’s Director of Research and Programme Development, Josiah Emerole, described rafficking as a clandestine crime that is endemic in all the states of the country.

“Knowing that the youths are the main target of traffickers, we want to catch them young. We have infused issue of trafficking into school curriculum, but, we also need to get the teachers to understand what the issues are, to be able to teach them.

“We also need to get the students together as club members, into vanguard, for them to come together and to peer-to-peer education among themselves, to understand the issue of human trafficking, understand what the indicators are, understand what they can do to stay off the traffickers, how to save themselves from their hands and what they can do to help other students.

“What we are doing for them is for them to understand all the issues, so that when they go back to the schools, it becomes easier for them to talk to these students, for them to organize these vanguards.”

The NAPTIP DG commended Edo for working hard to change the narratives of trafficking in the State.

“The state took it up upon itself to fight it headlong when the had a task force, now it is Edo State Migration Agency. So many thing have changed and we know that there more good story that we are expecting from Edo state, things are working better now,” she said.

In her remarks, the Head of PAN Africa Region of International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), Ms Monica Zanette, noted that trafficking is not a distant problem, as it exists in our communities.

Zanette who was represented by the Project Manager, Amarachi Chike-Jerry, disclosed that the project was designed to educate and empower young school children to become informed, protected, and proactive citizens.

“With the ongoing inauguration of the Anti-Trafficking and Violence Against Persons Vanguard Clubs in 50 schools across each participating state, we are sending a clear and united message:

“Our schools must be informed, safe, and resilient spaces where no child is left vulnerable to exploitation.

“Every day, news headlines remind us that school children continue to fall victim to human trafficking. This grave issue affects millions globally, with children and young people among the most at risk.

“Schools, where children spend a significant part of their formative years, are uniquely positioned to be part of the solution. That is why this training is not just timely, but it is critical.

“As principals and vanguard coordinators. you are not just educators, you are frontline defenders of children’s rights. You are custodians of safe learning environments where early signs of exploitation can be identified, where trust can be nurtured. and where children find the support, they need to
speak up.

“This training is designed to equip you with the knowledge, tools, and partnerships needed to fulfil that role. Over the next two days, you will deepen your understanding of trafficking, learn to recognize warning signs, and explore key resources such as the Standard Operating Procedures, Vanguard Handbook and reporting tools,” she said.

In his remarks, the State Commissioner of Education, Paddy Iyamu, described the anti-trafficking clubs as a welcome development in the State.

Iyamu who was represented by the Director of School Support Service, Ikoghode Abudukadiri, commended NAPTIP, ICMPD and the government of the Netherlands for sponsoring the programme help to build the children’s capacity about human trafficking.

Also speaking, the Project Manager of School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP), Rhoda Dia-Johnson, said the school anti-trafficking initiative was developed to address issue of trafficking in terms of prevention, as they don’t have to wait till it happens.

She added that the programme is aimed at strengthen awareness, foster stakeholders capacity in terms of training to prevent trafficking, especially among children who are the majority of victims.