June 14, (THEWILL) – Director of Intelligence, Training and Manpower Development of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Headquarters, Abuja, Mr Arinze Orakwue, has said that consent is irrelevant if any of the means of human trafficking is or are used to perpetrate the crime.
Orakwue noted that in trafficking, an adult or a child cannot consent to the act, as it is done purely for exploitation purposes, besides, he opined that a child is not capable of giving consent.
According to Orakwue, Trafficking In Persons (TIP), means the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.
Orakwue, therefore, maintained that consent is immaterial where any of these elements are deployed, adding that poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, ignorance, greed, parental neglect, lack of opportunity, conflicts and natural disasters are factors that precipitate the trafficking of human beings.
Orakwue gave the hint on Tuesday, at a training and capacity development orientation on standard reporting template for members of the TIP Media Corps and officers of Press and Public Relations Unit, organised by NAPTIP with support from EU, International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP) and Action Against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants in Nigeria (A-TIPSOM), held at Golfview Hotels and Conference Centre, Ikeja, Lagos.
The programme was put together by NAPTIP to acquaint participants with the background/statistics of human trafficking, Violence Against Persons (VAP) and overview of the national and international protection framework for combatting TIP and VAP.
VAP (Prohibition) Act 2015 was signed into law on 23rd May, 2015, whereby NAPTIP was mandated to administer the provisions of the Act, by virtue of Section 44 of the Act.
Describing the menace of human trafficking as high profits, low risks dealings, Orakwue said, “TIP is known to generate multiple billions of US Dollars. Over 913 victims or potential victims rescued by NAPTIP and other partners in 2020 alone.
Noting that Human Trafficking and Violence against Persons thrive on vulnerable Persons and there is a high degree of relationship that exist between them, the director advised that fighting both vices require concerted effort by all.
He revealed some warning signs that indicate some elements of trafficking to include behaviours such as: avoiding eye contact, social interaction, authority figures/law enforcement.
Seeming to adhere to scripted or rehearsed responses in social interaction, showing signs of physical injuries, abuse and appearing malnourished etc are also some of dangerous signs.
He also drew a difference between TIP and Smuggling of Migrants (SOM) because the latter can be caused by a number of factors such as consent, transnationality, source of profit.
Also speaking at the workshop, the Commander of the Benin Zone of NAPTIP, Mr Nduka Nwanwenne informed that no fewer than 25,000 trafficked Nigerian women and girls are trapped in Mali
Nwanwenne, a lawyer said “NAPTIP’s investigation into this category of victims revealed that they were attracted to Malian men because they spend more money on women compared to Nigerian men.
“The second major reason is that Malian men are proud of sleeping with women from Nigeria, the giant of Africa.”
Nwanwenne added that NAPTIP arrested over 9,102 human traffickers, out of which 604 were convicted while 20,660 victims were rescued between 2004 to May 2023
Renowned Spanish journalist, Maria Montero Clemente, who spoke on “Role of The Media in Combating Human Trafficking in Spain and other EU Member States”, advised that Journalists can also convey to society the resilience of human beings and that their example should serve to raise awareness.”
Clemente, who took time to narrate her experience in investigative journalism about human trafficking in Canary Island and other parts of Spain added that journalist should also convey” maxims of journalism to be able to capture the most important or relevant in people’s lives. We must be clear, concise, precise with the information, synthesise the data we have as best as possible and organise the story with style so that people are interested in the story we are telling without bordering on sensationalism and activate dissemination mechanisms.”
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
