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Human trafficking: NAPTIP to step up data collection through collaborations

BLESSING TAIWO

 

As part of efforts to curb human trafficking and apprehend offenders, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has sought collaborations with critical stakeholders for data collection.

 

At an ongoing workshop held in Lagos, on Monday, the Director-General of NAPTIP, Mrs Binta Adamu-Bello urged government agencies and civil society organisations (CSOs) to gather and share updated data on human trafficking.

 

The programme is a 5-day capacity building workshop for NAPTIP officers, State task forces on human trafficking and CSOs, organised by NAPTIP, in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and funded by the Swiss government.

 

The training is aimed at cascading the National Action Plan (NAP) on Human Trafficking to all national and sub-national actors, who have roles to play in its implementation and equip them with various reporting tools.

 

Adamu-Bello, who was represented by the Director of Research and Programme Development, Mr Josiah Emerole, said Nigeria needs adequate data on human trafficking.

 

She said, “data is indeed the lifeblood of policy interventions and operations across many fields, particularly in counter-trafficking.

 

“With reliable data, we can track threats, allocate resources effectively, and develop evidence-based strategies to detect and eliminate human trafficking.”

 

Adamu-Bello noted that after the workshop, the participants were expected to collect data on human trafficking, using the templates given to them during the workshop.

 

The DG urged CSOs to work better than they are currently doing and ensure that the data collected reaches the agency.

 

“They should ensure that whatever data they have is also sent to the national database.

 

“So that we know that whatever we are doing in Nigeria, we are working with empirical evidence, not blowing air everywhere and saying we are working,” she said.

 

In her remarks, the Project Officer of UNODC, Mrs Ifeoma Kanebi said though there had been significant achievements in the fight against human trafficking, it was important to get up-to-date data to further help eradicate the menace and safeguard the rights and dignity of every individual.

 

Kanebi said the step-down training of the stakeholders on the harmonised reporting tool played a crucial role in the process of ensuring a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.

 

“This is crucial as the collection, analysis, and reporting of reliable, sufficient and up-to-date data are needed to better prevent and combat this crime and its complex and ever-evolving dynamics,” she said.

 

Mr Oluwabori Ogunkanmi, NAPTIP Project Officer for ‘From Policy to Action: Implementation of the National Action Plan on Human Trafficking in Nigeria (2022–2026),’ said it was difficult to apprehend perpetrators of the crime because of its clandestine nature.

 

Ogunkanmi said the project was designed to support the execution of the National Action Plan on Human Trafficking in Nigeria.

 

He pointed out that the workshop will improve stakeholders’ coordination, capacity building, gender sensitivity, and data collection and analysis.

 

The participants are also expected to populate the repository with timely and efficient data to be displayed on the dashboard and coordinate with the national reporting hub, among others.

 

 

For a better society

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