Poverty the root cause of Human Trafficking - Imoke - 22/5/08

Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State has identified poverty as the root cause of traffic in persons which the State intends to eliminate.

While receiving the Executive Secretary, National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP), Mrs. Carol Ndaguba in Calabar, Tuesday, Imoke stressed that government‘s focus on rural development with emphasis on provision of infrastructure is geared towards reducing the incidence of child trafficking and other related vices.

According to Imoke, though the issue has been on the increase over the last 12 months in some parts of the State, government intends to initiate sustainable programmes in the rural areas which when operational, will reduce the menace, saying that its focus is beyond the Ministry of Women Affairs but with the cooperation of Ministry of Sports, Youth Development and Orientation and the provision of schools and skill acquisition institution to create vocation.

Imoke commended the Agency and police in their efforts to curb the incidence, stating that government is committed to the realization of its programme to reduce it as well as integrate victims as it intends to provide basic education, undertake sensitization as well as create awareness.

The Governor explained the need to ensure every Cross Riverians has access to education irrespective of financial standing while assuring the Agency of Government support in providing them with a vehicle for its operations in the state.

The Executive Secretary of NAPTIP, Mrs. Carol Ndaguba said she was in the State to introduce the Agency as well as seek the State’s collaboration in combating the menance of human trafficking in Nigeria, stating that available indices and record at local and international levels confirm the status of Nigeria as a source, transit and recipient country for trafficking in persons, a phenomenon reminiscent of the 18 th century slave trade.

Ndaguba described human trafficking as the highest form of human degradation, deprivation and violation of human right and works against the cardinal provision of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which provides for security and well being of its citizens, adding that 67 persons from Cross River were rescued by the Nigeria Police in Ebonyi State while on transit to Ogun State to be distributed in cocoa plantations.

She said rehabilitation being one of its cardinal mandate, they solicited the assistance of Swiss government to rehabilitate 27 of the victims who are still minors to serve as a pilot project to show that there is an alternative to trafficking, adding that it is a 12 month project which is starting with the advocacy visit to Imoke to sensitize him on the phenomenon and also seek for collaboration.

According to her, various researches indicate that the root cause of the phenomenon of trafficking are poverty, ignorance, civil strife, and greed, but one of the causes they have identified in Cross River is the incidence of child rejection, adding that the practice which is a violation of the right of the child must be shunned by all while appreciating the Swiss Government for funding the project.

The Swiss Charge D’ Affairs to Nigeria, Mr. Fabio Baidardi said the collaboration is an agreement between Nigeria and Switzerland to curb the incidence of human trafficking and believed its success will be of great benefits to the two countries.

Baidardi described the collaboration as first of its kind which he was proud of and confident of its future as its cuts across the society right from the grass root to the national level, as the integration project is not only for the victims, but their families and communities.

Government House Press