Group spreads campaign against human trafficking in markets

By Adeola Ogunlade

In a bid to reduce the menace of irregular migration among Nigerians, especially, women and girls, a Non-Governmental Organisation, Girls Inspired Development Network (GIDN) with Support Bon Voyage Travel Limited recently held a rally at Sabo Market, Lagos, Nigeria.

The rally saw GIDN and other civil society groups match round the market, educating people in different local languages about the perils and horrors of irregular migration. The anti-human trafficking campaigners displayed placards with inscriptions such as ‘We stand against human trafficking’ ‘Safety first, say no to exploitation’ among others.

Speaking at the event, Programme Manager for Girls Inspired Development Network, Bukola Adeboye, said that the awareness campaign was aimed at contributing to a more equitable and secure world for women and girls who are susceptible to human trafficking, modern-day slavery, and exploitation in Lagos State, and Abuja.

She said that the project is focused on empowering at least 500 girls on prevention, promoting awareness on human trafficking, and advocating for change in schools.

She highlighted forced labour, child stealing, forced prostitutions, kidnapping, organ theft, child soldiers, debt bondage and forced marriage as forms of human trafficking and modern slavery which should be tackled by all stakeholders.

Adeboye pointed out that in 2018, around 50,000 human trafficking victims were detected and reported by 148 countries, according to the United Nations. Victims often end up in brothels, working as domestic servants or engaged in heavy manual labour and are traded around the world and across borders.

She noted that those trafficked from Nigeria are often lured with the prospect of good jobs abroad, but find themselves trapped with concocted debts by the traffickers.

She went further to call on government and other stakeholders to raise awareness about this issue, support victims, and hold traffickers accountable for their crimes, adding that by doing so, we can help to put an end to this horrific practice and ensure that victims receive the support and justice they deserve.

Adeboye further stressed that the organisation is working with teachers in Education District IV to train educators on how to provide support to potential victims and establish a safe and confidential reporting mechanism within the schools.