FG collaborates with IOM to address issues of vulnerable migrants, train social workers

By Chidimma Uchegbu, Abuja

The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has gathered social workers and experts to enhance and boost their capacities to address the needs of migrants who may find themselves in situations of vulnerability. 

The capacity-building exercise was done under the Cooperation on Migration and Partnerships,

In conjunction with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the ministry assembled social workers and experts to review and validate the Best Interests Procedure (BIP) Guidelines for Migrants in vulnerable situations to achieve sustainable solutions initiative (COMPASS). 

The review and validation exercise started on February 6 and ended on February 9 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Prior to the review and validation exercise going on in Port Harcourt, the Ministry concerned with the issues of vulnerable migrants in December 2022, assembled the selected stakeholders to give vital inputs and observations which are reflected in the draft document.  

The document was intended to be a guide or blueprint to front-line providers of Best Interests Assessment (BIAs), Process Planning and Best Interests Determination (BID) services for vulnerable migrants.  

Nigeria as well as some other countries of the world have been assailed by issues of women, children and older persons who need help to resolve their challenges before they escalate to unmanageable proportions such as deprivations, depression, mental ill-health and in extreme cases, death.

For the purpose of the guidelines being developed, vulnerable migrants were defined to include migrant children at risk, and adults who as a consequence of their mental, physical and psychological health challenges are not able to make decisions for themselves.

The definition also covered persons with disabilities, persons with special needs, older persons, victims of trafficking, both presumed and potential and a few others.

The focal person of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs detailed to coordinate the development of the standard of the document, Benjamin Okwesa of the Gender Affairs Department.

Okwesa asked the congregated social workers and stakeholders to asses the draft of the developed BIP Guidelines for Vulnerable Migrants to find out if the faulty areas pointed out at a Lagos meeting held on December 22, 2022, had been addressed.

On behalf of the Ministry, Okwesa further expressed gratitude to IOM for its immense support.

At the Port Harcourt review and validation meeting for the BIP Guidelines for Vulnerable Migrants, a representative of IOM, Chibalani Katongo spoke on the processes the BIP Guideline had undergone.

She expressed her delight over the fact that the document will be the first of its kind in West Africa. 

Chibalani supported Okwese in urging participants and stakeholders to engage actively in the validation of the document, expressing gratitude to the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs for the opportunity given to IOM to support the laudable project.

The IOM raised some observations on the draft document earlier done in Lagos, while noting that its observations are subject to the decision of the Ministry’s experts, Agencies, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

The Stakeholders necessary for the administration of the BIA and BID were the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, the Federal Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior.

The list also included the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Nigeria Correctional Service, the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, and the National Commission of Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons.

Other organisations are the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC), Representatives of CSOs, International and National Government Organisations, IOM, UNHCR, UNICEF, and other states’ equivalents of the Ministries and Agencies named at the federal level.

The Federal Ministry of Justice and the Federal Ministry of Education were identified to be called in cases where that became necessary.

A representative of the NSCC, identified as Mr Ogan called the attention of the meeting to the area where the guideline adopted the definition of Senior Citizens as provided for by the NSCC Act of 2018. 

Ogan informed the meeting that the benchmark of 70 years as provided for by the Act, should be replaced with 60 years.

He said the former does not align with other documents such as the National Policy on Aging and other international documents which provided for the benchmark of 60 years.

Ogan further stated that regardless of the fact that public servants retire at the age of 60, the centre has sent in the affected provision to National Assembly for possible amendment. 

The Assistant Legal Adviser of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Kenechi Umeh brought up the issue of the newly signed Mental Health Act which replaced the Lunacy Act of 1958 for it to be taken into consideration during the final review and validation of the document. 

While reacting to this observation, the consultant engaged to perfect the document under review and informed those present that he has already taken that into consideration.

However, she noted that it was not reflected in the copy sent to participants before January 5, 2023, when the bill was signed into law.

In attendance at the Port Harcourt review and validation meeting were Marcus Williams of the Association for Orphans and Vulnerable Children NGOs in Nigeria and Olakunle Sanni with the Child Protection Network Nigeria, among others.