Tasks of the media against stigmatization, re-traumatization of victims
Stakeholders in the war against human trafficking have called for more judges to be assigned to trafficking cases to speed up the hearing of cases related to migrant smuggling in the country.
The call was part of 21 recommendations made by participants at the end of a three-day capacity-building and training orientation workshop to generate standard reporting templates for Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Corps members in Asaba, Delta State. .
The event was organized by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) through the Action Project Against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants in Nigeria (ATIPSOM), funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the International and Ibero-American Organization of the American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP).
In the statement released at the end of the workshop, the participants noted that most Nigerians fall prey to traffickers as a result of government failure, leading to widespread insecurity, unemployment, poverty, illiteracy, hunger, search for better living conditions , as well as ignorance on the part of the victims.
They argued that the slow delivery of justice to suspects has added to the factors that increase crime.
The statement added that the Nigerian media needed to be more proactive and insightful, to provide more coverage of human trafficking activities and raise more awareness by involving more media organizations to join the campaign.
“The Government must support the construction of more shelters and skill acquisition centers for victims, to accelerate psychosocial rehabilitation, while the Federal Government must create a space at the points of entry and exit of the country for NAPTIP officials, to identify and rescue potential victims. and arrest suspected human traffickers.
“Greater collaboration between NAPTIP and the Federal Ministry of Labor and Employment is needed for the proper control of the activities of employment recruitment agencies inside and outside of Nigeria,” the statement added.
MEANWHILE, stakeholders have applauded NAPTIP for its cooperation with relevant agencies in combating human trafficking and child labour, adding that credible media reports showed that NAPTIP has rehabilitated and reintegrated more than 17 000 victims of trafficking between 2003 and 2021.
Speaking at the end of the training exercise, the Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dr. Fatima Waziri-Azi, who was represented by the Director of Public Education, Mr. Josiah Emerole, warned Nigerians against falling prey to emerging trends and the tricks of human traffickers.
He said: “Human traffickers have integrated technology into their business model at every stage of the process, from recruitment to exploiting victims and luring their victims into this heinous crime.
“Traffickers target children and young people on social media, using social media sites like Facebook, Whatsapp, YouTube and Twitter. Nigerians need to be aware of these tricks and trends because some of these traffickers are now luring people through job contracts, soccer opportunities, and orphanages.
“We have to be very careful and media professionals have to understand the language to report some of these cases, especially those that were rescued. You must protect your identity by blurring your faces and names because it is international best practice to report trafficking or smuggling issues, otherwise such reports will stigmatize you for life.
“Media reports should embrace ‘victims’ as ‘survivors’, while ‘illegal migration’ should be referred to as
“irregular migration: as it is widely accepted as international best practice”.
Similarly, the Senior Project Officer/Technical Advisor on Prevention (ATIPSOM), Mr. Joseph Sanwo, thanked NAPTIP for organizing the workshop.
He indicated that the objective of the ATIPSOM project is to reduce human trafficking and the reduction of migrants, while calling on journalists to take advantage of the training in their reports.