The United Global Resolve for Peace (UGRFP), has called for increased commitment from government at all levels in the fight against human trafficking.
Shalom Olaseni, UGRFP’ s Executive Director, in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, said that human trafficking, slavery and migration crises had eaten deeply into Nigeria as it had defaced countries of the world.
According to him, unemployment, insecurity and economic factors have contributed immensely to the global menace.
Olaseni said that issues of human trafficking were the focus of UGRFP’s meeting with Maria Giammarinaro, the UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.
“While these factors militate against efforts to arrest this unfortunate situation, the lethargic approach of the government of Nigeria, state and federal, towards stemming this social malaise is cause for even graver concern.
“The role of the government with its instrument of state power and policy cannot be dispensed with as efforts are put in place to curb and end human trafficking and slavery on and off the shores of Nigeria.
“In the light of the huge effort required to restrain the trade in persons, due credit must be given to NAPTIP for their commitment to fighting human trafficking, the successful prosecution of traffickers to discourage others from this inhumane and criminal network and the rehabilitation of the victims of human trafficking.
“Nevertheless, the underlying and driving factors of this menace must be combated by a combined effort of civil society groups, the Nigerian government and international communities.
“The Nigerian government must do more by increasing wages through job creation and also create an enabling economy for foreign investors.
“A means to this economic emancipation must be devised without resort to loans from international bodies but with the economic policy of deregulation and the lowering of corporate taxes that will allow small businesses to thrive and enable multi-national corporations to grow,” he said.
He said that as the United Nations had committed to working with civil society organisations as well as internally displaced persons, victims of mostly sexual abuses and organ harvesting.
The executive director said that co-ordination must also be placed in countries involved in trafficking by working with the law enforcement of the various countries on tracking and cracking down these criminal networks. NAN
Pix: The Leadership of UGRFP with Maria Giammarinaro, the UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons.
