ICMPD, NAPTIP train CSOs, urge strategies to end trafficking in Nigeria
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The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) has called on civil society organisations to strengthen community-based strategies aimed at tackling human trafficking and violence against persons in Nigeria.
The appeal was made during the opening of a three-day training workshop organised in Asaba, Delta State, in collaboration with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). The programme is designed to equip partner CSOs with improved approaches for community sensitisation and response to trafficking and related abuses.
The workshop forms part of the Schools Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP), a programme implemented by ICMPD with support from the Government of the Netherlands and in partnership with Nigeria’s Ministry of Education and NAPTIP.
According to Rhoda Dia-Johnson, project manager for STEAP in Nigeria, participating organisations were selected from five states: Delta, Edo, Ogun, Enugu, and Benue. She explained that the training aims to strengthen the capacity of CSOs to address not only trafficking in persons but also broader cases of violence affecting vulnerable individuals.
Dia-Johnson noted that the organisations have already recorded progress in raising awareness within their communities, but emphasised the need for sustained engagement and deeper grassroots messaging to reduce the incidence of trafficking and abuse.
The project, which runs for four years, is expected to conclude in 2027. She said the possibility of expanding the programme to other states would depend on the approval of a second phase by its donor.
Also speaking at the workshop, Sam Offiah of NAPTIP’s Benin Zonal Command commended the collaboration between the agency and ICMPD, describing it as an effective step toward reducing trafficking and violence across affected communities.
Offiah urged civil society groups to intensify public awareness campaigns by educating residents on warning signs of trafficking, encouraging timely reporting, and supporting efforts aimed at protecting vulnerable people across the country.
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