Human and Drug Trafficking: Changing the Narrative in Nigeria (2)

The Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN), on the 4th of July 2017, held a one-day seminar to mark the International Day against Drug and Human Trafficking. Themed ‘Human and Drug Trafficking: Changing the Narrative in Nigeria’ the event held under the distinguished chairmanship of Mr. Wale Olaoye, MD/CEO, Halogen Security Company Ltd. Serialized in two parts, we present the concluding part of the excerpts of his speech.
Some Efforts on the part of Government

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) is the agency set up by the Nigerian government to oversee issues relating to trafficking. According to the US Trafficking in Persons Report 2016, the government identified 943 trafficking victims, including 429 victims of sex trafficking and 514 of labour trafficking, compared with 914 victims identified in the previous reporting period. In 2015, the government allocated approximately N2.5b ($13 million) to NAPTIP, which spent roughly N581m ($3 million) on victim protection and assistance during the reporting period. NAPTIP also operated nine shelters specifically for trafficking victims, with a total capacity of 313 victims.

Agency officials encouraged victims to assist with useful information that will help in the investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases. NAPTIP reported that 33 victims served as witnesses or gave evidence during the trial in the reporting period. On the part of NAPTIP, trafficking victims were guaranteed temporary residence visas during any criminal, civil or other legal action. All victims were eligible to receive funds from the victims’ trust fund, which was financed primarily through confiscated assets of convicted traffickers. During the reporting period, the government disbursed N5.4m ($32,700) among 25 victims for various purposes, including vocational training and school tuition, although not necessarily in equal amounts.
Current Global Initiatives geared towards curbing the menace

Ivanka Trump is currently championing a cause against human trafficking – a development she refers to as ‘ugly stain on civilization.’ CNN reports that 21 nations, including Nigeria, are currently doing worse in the fight against human trafficking than they did in 2016; and that 21 nations are however doing better in the fight against human trafficking than they did in 2016. According to the US Government, on June 15, 2017, the United States and Peru signed a Child Protection Compact (CPC) Partnership, a jointly-developed plan to address and respond to child trafficking in Peru. On April 11, 2017, the United States and the Philippines signed a CPC Partnership, a jointly developed plan to address and respond to the online sexual exploitation of children and child labour trafficking in the Philippines. The US Government informed that every year, a day in January is set aside to mark the National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Each year during this month, people and organizations around the nation recommit to assisting victims of human trafficking and to combating it in all its forms.
Some of the local intervention by government

Reports have it that NAPTIP continued to conduct extensive national and local programming through radio and print media in all regions to raise awareness about trafficking, including a warning about fraudulent recruitment for jobs abroad. NAPTIP also carried out advocacy visits to five primary and secondary schools in six states deemed to have a particularly high trafficking incidence, sensitizing over 10,000 students. NAPTIP also educated transportation carriers in these six states on their responsibility to prevent trafficking and smuggling. According to reports, the inter-ministerial committee on trafficking met 15 times and continued to implement the national action plan. The Ministry of Labour and Productivity also continued to implement the national policy and action plan on labour migration and manage the licensing requirement for all private labour recruitment agencies.  The 2016 US Trafficking in Persons Report noted that the government did not make any discernible efforts to decrease the demand for commercial sex acts. It also noted that the government provided anti-trafficking training for its diplomatic personnel and, with foreign donor support, to Nigerian troops prior to their deployment abroad on international peacekeeping missions.
The Laws and how much impact they have had

The Government of Nigeria enacted the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement & Administration Act 2015. The laws have been in place yet trafficking has not reduced. Punishment gives the option of imprisonment or payment of fine for between N50, 000 and N200, 000 for different types of human trafficking offences. With such ridiculous amount of money as provision for fine, the offenders will may be motivated away from these crimes. At the proposal for amendment, a fine of up to N1, 000, 000 was desired. Even that may not be effective in serving as a deterrent for offenders. Even in advanced nations, human trafficking is still a big deal. For Nigeria therefore, efforts to reduce this drastically must be properly put in place.
Changing the narrative in Nigeria

Government agencies such as NAPTIP and the Nigerian Immigration services have been playing the role of stepping up measures that are already in place. The ministry of education has a role to ensure that young kids and adults alike are aware of the threats that abound from the culture of ignorance. The government has to ensure adoption procedures and general social service procedures are streamlined to meet global standards. The police have a role in identifying already convicted offenders and to forecast the activities of individuals who could be termed potential traffickers based on previous travel activities. There is the role of the media (such as Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria) in bringing awareness of the problem to the national consciousness. There is the part of Nollywood playing a compulsory partnership role with NAPTIP to begin to produce true life stories and experience of returnees or those weaned from drugs in demonstrating and sharing the alternative narrative that is real life testimonials. We must have a deliberate investment in centralized data gathering and share amongst all relevant agencies. We must have deliberate tracking of set key performance indicators and key result areas focused by NAPTIP, NDLEA, and NIS.
Critical questions that we need to ask

Nigeria has evolved from a transit country to a destination country and finally a source country for drugs and human trafficking. So what is it that makes our borders so attractive to these perpetrators?

Why is Nigeria still one of the twenty-one least performing countries in addressing human trafficking and sex labour comparatively from 2015/2016 when investment and attempts by the government had improved boost within the same period?

NDLEA reported that Nigeria has the highest number of persons serving jail time for drug-related offences (trafficking) in the world as at 2016. How, why and what do we do to address this issue?

What are the Immigration services doing about this and how are they measuring their effectiveness in addressing the problem?

Is there enough synergy and cooperation between the government agencies (Police, Immigration, NAPTIP and NDLEA and private security companies with the right technology & systems to support their efforts)?

Does NDLEA have an action plan to combat the problem? Nigeria is on the list of countries that are progressively worsening in this regard? Nigeria also tops the list in Africa for both Drug and human trafficking; surely this is an embarrassing statistic for the agencies. Are there any other softer approach to address the proactive management side rather than reactive? Can a database be created to contain the names of traffickers and suspected traffickers and access to the database be shared among the appropriate government agencies?

How much of a deterrent are the punishments given to established offenders? Surely it cannot just end at a fine.

Most importantly, how concerned is the federal government about the issue. Does it take center stage in their agenda or are they making a separation between this problem and terrorism? Also, how much of the budget is allocated to tackling this issue and how can we track how this money is spent?

Is the media doing enough to bring the battle to the forefront? Are they creating awareness of the problem in the national consciousness? Are they unwittingly glorifying the culprits by focusing on the wealth that these crimes generate? Finally, are they doing enough to educate the public and hold the agencies to the task?

I trust that the seminar will do far more in attending to these questions and as well proffer solutions that will change the current narrative by this time next year. Then this event would have been worth our while and the investment of the organizers and participants. I wish you a productive event and outcome. Thank you.
Concluded.