Experts have called for collective efforts to tackle the scourge of human trafficking and s3xual exploitation.
They spoke at a workshop by the Attorney- General Alliance Africa (AGA-Africa), in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Roost Foundation.
Critical stakeholders were trained in tackling the menace of human trafficking, irregular migration, drug abuse, s3xual and gender based violence.
According to AGA-Africa, “human trafficking is a $150 billion per year industry, with $99 billion from s3xual exploitation”, hence the need for a collective effort in fighting the scourge.
AGA-Africa Country Coordinator for Nigeria, Ebelechukwu Enedah, said attention was yet to be paid to the fact that there is a strong interlink between human trafficking and drug trafficking.
“The idea that humans being can be exploited and used over and over for profit is the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time,” she said.
Enedah, partner at Punuka Attorneys and Solicitors, said the workshop was to equip stakeholders with knowledge and skills to combat the twin monster of human and drug trafficking/abuse.
She added that there was the need to shine the spotlight on the problem in communities in order to minimise the abuse of drugs amongst children, youths and adults in Nigeria.
Chairman, Board of Trustees, United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons (UNVTF), Dame Julie Okah-Donli, said aside from those addicted to drug abuse, traffickers use drugs as a “bait” to lure people.
“They capitalise on substance abuse disorder to promise their victims free and constant supply of illegal drugs in exchange for s3xual and labour exploitation,” she said.
Okah-Donli, who is the Executive Chairman of Roost Foundation, stressed that after passing through primary, secondary and sometimes tertiary victimisation phases, victims of drug trafficking and abuse deserve a level of care and special treatment to support them in their recuperation process.
“At this stage, the survivors come in contact with caregivers and caregiving institutions.
“It is for this reason that training and retraining is quite imperative for relevant stakeholders,” she added.