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Ten Girls Rescued in Ghana to be Rehabilitated by NAPTIP and Women Ministry

NAPTIP
NAPTIP

The ten Nigerian girls, some of them under aged, who were recently rescued from Ghana are to be rehabilitated. The programme under which their rehabilitation is to be done is the first under a partnership between the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs.

The partnership is being put together to fight against human trafficking and the long-term rehabilitation of victims of human trafficking. A statement signed by Adekoye Vincent, Communications Officer, NAPTIP indicated that this partnership was one of the outcomes of the visit of the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Hon. Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, to the Headquarters of NAPTIP on Monday. The visit followed viral reports of the trafficking of some Nigerian girls to Ghana for sexual exploitation.

Prof. Fatima Waziri – Azi, Director General of NAPTIP while speaking with Journalists after the meeting, thanked the honourable Minister for the visit and her support towards to sustained fight against human trafficking adding that the Agency has been very proactive, strategic, and deliberate in carrying out its mandates leading to the conviction of 29 human traffickers from January 2024 till date, 67 traffickers in 2023, 80 in 2022 and a total of 670 human trafficking convictions since the inception of the Agency including the rescue of over 23,000 victims.

She said, “Even though the Government has a major role in tackling human trafficking, communities and families have an even greater role in tackling these issues. Regarding the girls in Ghana, we are in touch with the Ghanaian Anti-Human Trafficking Unit. The girls have been rescued and are safe. The perpetrator has been arrested, and I am also in contact with Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM). I am very delighted by the Honourable Minister’s visit this morning. From our conversation, we will definitely approach this issue in a more strategic way, in terms of prevention. Prevention is better than cure.”

As a warning to ambitious young Nigerians and their families, Professor Waziri said, “I also want to emphasise to parents and young people that there is no free lunch anywhere; if it is free, then you are definitely the product. We know that everyone desires a better life, but wanting a better life does not mean you should not be discerning. When somebody comes and offers you Eldorado, please ask questions.”

Hon. Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, earlier commended NAPTIP for its visible impact in tackling human trafficking in Nigeria and promised to join hands with the Agency for sustained rehabilitation of victims of human trafficking through the existing empowerment scheme that has been established by the Ministry.

She said, “I came here to see my sister concerning the issue of the Nigerian girls trafficked to Ghana. We will join hands with NAPTIP to empower them, give them skills or send them to school”.

Kennedy-Ohanenye revealed the ministry’s plans to embark on massive advocacy among diverse stakeholders including operators of commercial transport companies, the Aviation Sector, the Marine Sector, and a cross-section of parents across the country adding that parents and transport operators will be held responsible if found culpable in the trafficking of children. She solicits the support and cooperation of all Nigerians to tackle the issues of human trafficking in the Country.

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Written by Aleem Murtala

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