UN to present report on human trafficking in Nigeria come June

End of visit statement, Nigeria (3-10 September) by Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children. Photo : RR

UN to present report on human trafficking in Nigeria come June

Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, UN’s Special Rapporteur has said her finding on human trafficking in Nigeria will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2019.

Nigeria is top among African countries where thousands of women and children are trafficked illegally to destinations abroad especially in Europe.

The International Organization for Migration said around 11,000 women and 3,000 children who arrived by sea in Italy in 2016 were from Nigeria.

Eighty percent of all women and girls arriving from Nigeria to Europe are potential victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation, the group estimates, noting that exploitation of younger girls is on the rise.

During Ms. Giammarinaro’s week-long assessment, Ms. Giammarinaro met with relevant stakeholders and discussed various forms and manifestations of trafficking in persons and key human rights concerns and challenges.

She also examined progress made in addressing trafficking in persons for the purpose of sexual, labor or any other form of exploitation, she said in a statement.

More particularly she paid attention to key issues and challenges in the implementation of international and legal frameworks on trafficking in persons, especially women and children.

She also examined measures taken or to be taken in terms of prevention of trafficking in persons, identification and protection of victims, prosecution and punishment of perpetrators as well as access to justice and social inclusion for survivors.

While in Nigeria, Ms. Giammarinaro also met representatives of Government agencies, as well as UN officials and members of civil society organizations, especially those working in the field of prevention and victim support.

Nigeria’s anti-trafficking agency recently launched an app called iReport that allows people to report cases of human trafficking in the country.

Using the app, citizens can alert local authorities on human trafficking incidents, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) said in a statement.