By Clare Nwaiwu
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Monday organized an awareness walk as part of activities to create awareness on the World Anti-Human Trafficking Day celebration.
The walk which was embarked up in most major cities of the country was aimed at campaigning against the scourge of trafficking in persons. The FCT walk was personally led by the Director General of the agency, Dame Julie Okah-Donli.
The FCT walk which took off at exactly 7am and rounded off at 8.30am. The large crowd of participants took off from the Old Parade Ground, walked through the long stretch of the Central Business District and returned to the Old Parade Ground.
[penci_blockquote style=”style-2″ align=”none” author=””]the level of ignorance and poverty in the society has increased the problem since many people in search of greener pastures fall victim to the traffickers and sometimes, end up losing their lives.[/penci_blockquote]
Other groups which join the management and staff of NAPTIP in the awareness walk included staff of non-governmental agencies such as the Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF), Next To None and Network of Civil Society Organisations against Human Trafficking.
A large contingent of officials of security agencies such as the police, Civil Defence, DSS and Federal Road Safety Commission provided security for the walk.
The Director General who spoke with newsmen after the walk, said the World Anti Human Trafficking Day celebration was to sensitise the world about the ills of human trafficking and the various dimensions that the menace has taken.
According to her, the level of ignorance and poverty in the society has increased the problem since many people in search of greener pastures fall victim to the traffickers and sometimes, end up losing their lives.
[penci_related_posts taxonomies=”undefined” title=”Online Related Posts” background=”” border=”” thumbright=”no” number=”4″ style=”grid” align=”none” displayby=”recent_posts” orderby=”random”]
Okah-Donli called for collaboration from individuals and groups in the awareness campaign and the fight to rid the society of human trafficking, saying that the agency cannot win the war with the support of other well-meaning Nigerians.
She explained that since the creation of the agency, 359 people had so far been convicted for different offences of human trafficking, although no jail sentence was handed out to any of them. According to her, the convicts were made to pay compensations which, she said, were deterrent enough.
She stated that NAPTIP now focuses attention on those using under-aged children as house helps, noting that anyone caught in the act would face the wrath of law.
According to her, there is need for the general public to give the agency relevant information that will lead to arrest of suspects of child trafficking.