Stakeholders have advocated increased budgetary allocation and private sector intervention for the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to deliver on its mandates.
They also called for more judges to be assigned human trafficking cases to ensure accelerated dispensation of justice.
These were some of the resolutions adopted at the end of a three-day capacity building on standard reporting template organised through the Action Against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (A-TIPSOM), funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), held in Asaba, Delta State.
It was recommended that the government should create a space at the entry and exit points of the country for NAPTIP officials, to identify and rescue potential victims and arrest suspects.
NAPTIP’s Director General, Dr. Fatima Waziri-Azi said the agency had partnered social media platform, Facebook, to enable it red flag accounts, posts suspected to be by human traffickers.
Waziri-Azi who was represented by the Director, Public Enlightenment, Josiah Emerole, said the partnership became necessary following the hunting and fishing tricks adopted by human traffickers.
She said: “Human traffickers have integrated technology into their business model at every stage of the process, from recruiting to exploiting victims and to lure their victims into this heinous crime.
Senior Project Officer/Technical Advisor on Prevention, A-TIPSOM, Joseph Sanwo said the goal was to reduce trafficking in person and smuggling of migrants, urging trainees to put to good use all the lessons learnt.
“I want to appreciate NAPTIP for putting up this training for journalists to know how to put reportage of TIP and SOM issues. It will go a long way to prevent and sensitise the populace on trafficking, irregular migration and all other crimes associated with TIP and SOM,” he said