740,000 Nigerians live in slavery – NAPTIP

An assistant director in the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP), Olubiyi Olusayo, disclosed this yesterday at the sensitisation workshop for journalists and civil society organisations on the link between human trafficking and HIV/AIDs in Abuja.The workshop was organised under the auspices of the European Union funded […]

An assistant director in the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP), Olubiyi Olusayo, disclosed this yesterday at the sensitisation workshop for journalists and civil society organisations on the link between human trafficking and HIV/AIDs in Abuja.
The workshop was organised under the auspices of the European Union funded programme on “promoting better management for migration in Nigeria,” which is being implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
He said the Italian Anti-Mafia Bureau estimated that there were more than 20,000 Nigerian women involved in prostitution in Italy alone, with varying numbers in other countries in Europe. He added that a large number of Nigerian girls are also held in sex slavery in other countries in West Africa, such as Benin, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
UNODC representative, Country Office of Nigeria, Mrs. Mariam Sissoko said there was a link between human trafficking and HIV/AIDs, adding that effective collaboration with other stakeholders like the media and civil societies is key in reducing the scourge of human trafficking and smuggling of migrants in Nigeria.
Represented by Aminat Abdulrahman, she said the objectives of the workshop included better collaboration and synergy among stakeholders, information sharing, accurately reporting trafficking and HIV/AIDs, identifying the most effective way to address trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants.
Earlier, head of the Department of Press and Public Relations, NAPTIP, Josiah Emerole, said sensitive and priority reporting on issues of trafficking and HIV in both the national and local media should be aimed at gaining visibility or priority for the issue. He said the media could play a critical role in the prevention and control of human trafficking and HIV/AIDs by increasing knowledge and understanding among key stakeholders and the general public.