Abstract
This study was on assessment of human trafficking and national policies and its elimination in Nigeria. Three objectives were raised which included: To ascertain the causes of human trafficking in Nigeria, to evaluate the national polices on human trafficking and to suggest on how to eliminate human trafficking in Nigeria. A total of 77 responses were received and validated from the enrolled participants where all respondents were drawn from NAPTIP. Hypothesis was tested using Chi-Square statistical tool (SPSS).
Chapter one
Introduction
1.1Background of the study
Human Trafficking, according to the United Nations (2000), is the transportation, keeping in one’s possession or reception of persons by means of coercion or craftiness or by giving or accepting money to have control or influence over another in order to draw an illegitimate profit from them. Human Trafficking is also the buying and selling of persons for the single purpose of exploiting the individuals. Traffickers use lies, coercion, confinement, debt bondage, starvation of food, beating, rape and deceit to control their victims and make them carry out their wishes and command. The main goal of human traffickers is the exploitation of their victims to their own advantage. Human Traffickers use men, women, and children for multifarious purposes. Children are used for cheap labour to work in factories or for domestic servitude. Men are trafficked so as to be used for hard labour, to work in mines or factories for stipends whereas women/ girls are majorly trafficked to be used as sex slaves or for domestic servitude. Human trafficking has become a global menace exacerbated by poverty and greed. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally (Polaris, 2008). Traffickers can be friends, neighbors, and acquaintances. People can be recruited into trafficking through fake newspaper adverts, fake recruitment agencies, abduction, word of mouth, through phones, internet, malls and through deceit. Human trafficking is noted to be the third largest international crime industry just behind illegal drugs and arms trafficking (Enaikele and Olutayo, 2011). ILO report cited in Human Trafficking by the Numbers (2017) observes that human trafficking is a lucrative business making a profit of about 150 million dollars yearly. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Global report on Human Trafficking observes from data gathered from 155 countries that sexual exploitation is the most common identified form of human trafficking (79%) followed by forced labour (18%) (UNODC Report, 2018). Also, Smith (2011) observes that 21 million women/girls are trafficked worldwide.
Human Trafficking is a global challenge attracting international, national and local attention. Yet this phenomenon is particularly relevant for some countries, including Nigeria. According to the 2018 Global Slavery Index, the country ranks 32 (out of 167) in terms of the highest number of slaves globally, counting a total of 1,386,000. Nigeria was listed as one of the top five origin countries of registered victims of trafficking in the EU between 2010 and 2016. Additionally, Nigeria plays a triple role as origin, transit and destination country.
Human trafficking in Nigeria is due to population boom and unfavorable economic conditions that aggravate unemployment, underemployment and insecurity which prompt citizens to seek for better opportunities in other countries. These opportunities include education, decent jobs and higher income. About 15 million Nigerians reside outside Nigeria as a result of demand for access to quality education and jobs. Human trafficking remains a major challenge to the global community because it is a threat to human and the causes of crimes in the world at large. Since 2009, Nigeria has made efforts to tackle human trafficking through collaboration with the Police, customs, immigration, Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL) and National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons(NAPTIP). Specifically, the Public Enlightenment Unit of NAPTIP, with focus in Nigeria partners with Devatop Centre for Africa Development to create awareness and had educated over 5000 women, teenagers, educators and youth on human trafficking prevention. In 2015, they initiated “The Academy for Prevention of Human Trafficking and Other Related Matters (TAPHOM)”, a pilot project to train anti-human trafficking advocates to combat human trafficking in their communities. Between 2015 and 2016, the project has trained 120 people from 6 states (Obenson, Tambay ( October 2020)
Through these programs, two brothels in Lagos were closed, with 12 females and 6 underaged rescued in the first quarter of 2010. In February 2020, the police also recovered 232 sex trafficking victims and forced labour in the capital city of Niamey. These recovered victims and the likes are usually provided shelter at any of the NAPTIP’s eight designated shelters, alongside food, clothing, recreational activities, psychological counselling and vocational training depending on the needs of the victims at any point in time. In such cases, victims stay in the provided shelters for six weeks and are moved to civil society agencies for longer duration. In 2009, Government’s expenditure on NAPTIP’s shelter facilities was estimated to be $666,000 and vocational training support had been provided for 70 victims as well (Obenson, Tambay (7 October 2020)
The provision of welfare for human trafficking victims is a requirement of the 2003 Trafficking in Persons Law Enforcement and Administration Act, amended in 2005, and re-enacted in 2015 by former Nigerian president GoodLuck Jonathan. This law prescribes penalty of five years’ imprisonment and/or a $670 fine for labour trafficking; 10 years imprisonment for the trafficking of children for forced begging or hawking; and 10 years to life imprisonment for sex trafficking. Child trafficking is also recognized as a criminal offence in the 2003 Child Rights Act enacted in only 23 states in Nigeria. In line with the 2003 Trafficking in Persons Act, NAPTIP have recorded 26 prosecutions and 25 convictions of trafficking offences out of 149 reported investigations, with sentences ranging from two months to 10 years and only two defaulters offered the option of fine payment
Statement of the problem
Particularly with the beginning of the new millennium, numerous projects have been undertaken in Nigeria to fight human trafficking, comprising research, awareness raising, capacity building for rehabilitation services in origin, transit and destination countries, capacity building for law enforcement, as well as transnational cooperation. In spite of increasing commitment to eradicate this form of modern slavery, much remains to be done due to the varying and evolving forms that human trafficking has been taking. As a result, purposeful policies, strategies and actions need constant review. However, projects are rarely evaluated, in part due to the lack of dedicated funding. Hence an updated overview of recent and ongoing projects is missing, and yet it would be crucial to ensure the most effective use of resources, avoid any duplication of actions and encourage collaboration among stakeholders across complementary interventions. Based on this background the researcher wants to assess human trafficking and national policies and it’s elimination in Nigeria
Objective of the study
The objectives of the study are;
- To ascertain the causes of human trafficking in Nigeria
- To evaluate the national polices on human trafficking
- To suggest on how to eliminate human trafficking in Nigeria
Research hypotheses
The following research hypotheses were formulated;
H0: there are no causes of human trafficking in Nigeria
H1: there are causes of human trafficking in Nigeria
H0: there are no national polices on human trafficking
H2: there national polices on human trafficking
Significance of the study
The study will be very significant to students, policy makers and the entire nation. The study will give a clear insight on the human trafficking and national policies and its elimination in Nigeria. The study will enlighten the country the reason for human trafficking in Nigeria and suggest ways to eliminate it. The study will also serve as a reference to other researchers that will embark on the related topic
Scope and limitation of the study
The scope of the study covers assessment of human trafficking and national policies and its elimination in Nigeria.
The following scope limit the study
The scope of this work is limited by the following:
- Time: The time available to the researcher to carry out this piece of research could not allow very extensive research into the subject matter. In addition, the researcher also has to carry out her normal class work along side this research project.
Finance: the amount of funds available to the researcher also helped to limit the scope of this wok. Some materials that may have aided the research could not be acquired, also transportation costs and cost of other logistic did not allow the researcher to visit all the companies she would have wanted to visit
Definition of terms
Human trafficking: the unlawful act of transporting or coercing people in order to benefit from their work or service, typically in the form of forced labour or sexual exploitation.
National policy: A National Policy is a statement containing principles and a broad course of action adopted by the national government in pursuit of a specific objective. They are used to guide decision making towards the achievement of a stated outcome
Elimination: Complete removal or total destruction of something
This material content is developed to serve as a GUIDE for students to conduct academic research
ASSESSMENT OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND NATIONAL POLICES AND IT’S ELIMINATION IN NIGERIA
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