BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
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International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) has inaugurated Anti-Human Trafficking Vanguards in three secondary schools in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State.
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The vanguards, which is part of efforts to combat human trafficking and promote safe migration, were inaugurated on Monday at Royal Crown Academy, Special Education Centre and Urban Girls Secondary School, all in Nsukka.
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The ICMPD Programme Officer, Mr Christian Iloma, said the programme, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherland, was organised in collaboration with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
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Iloma explained that the inauguration of the vanguards was aimed at catching the students young and equipping them with the right knowledge to resist the crime.
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“This is a crucial programme in the process of fighting against anti-human trafficking within communities and also in schools. Our main focus is the children and about 30 vanguards are inaugurated in each school.
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“Upon inauguration, they will begin to hold peer-to-peer learning with other schools and also within the school premises.
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“This goes a long way in showing that the fight against human trafficking is not just within the school premises but also extend out of the school,” the programme officer added.
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According to him, the Nsukka cluster has 15 schools out of the 50 schools selected for the inauguration in Enugu State.
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Inaugurating the group, the NAPTIP South East Zonal Commander, Mr Jonathan Ukpai said the programme was designed to ensure that nobody was left behind in the fight against human trafficking.
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He described human trafficking as the illegal movement and exploitation of persons for selfish and criminal purposes, noting that trafficking manifests in different forms including domestic servitude, sale of babies, forced labour and organ harvesting.
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Ukpai revealed that Enugu and Abia states have highest cases of baby trafficking in the South East, warning that traffickers often prey on vulnerable persons, especially young people and women.
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He identified poverty, unemployment and social marginalisation as some of the major push factors driving victims into trafficking networks, while perceived better living conditions and social welfare systems abroad serve as pull factors encouraging illegal migration.
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While noting that the agency was not against migration, the NAPTIP boss stressed that migration should be done legally and in accordance with laid down procedures.
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In his remark, the State Commissioner for Education represented by the Director of Schools in the Ministry, Mrs Nwakego Ogbonna, said the initiatives was timely and necessary in addressing the growing threats of human trafficking and illegal migration among youths.
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Ogbonna urged the students to become ambassadors against human trafficking in their various schools and communities by reporting suspicious movements and educating their peers on the dangers associated with illegal migration.
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In an interview, the Proprietress of Royal Crown Academy, Nsukka, Mrs Amaka Onyirioha, promised to ensure that the programme was sustained in the state, which she expressed optimism would help to curb human trafficking in the area.
