20 To 40 Million People Undergoing Modern Slavery Annually—-Abdulhaniyu
BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto.
An estimated number of between 20 to 40 million people annually are undergoing modern slavery globally, Abdulganiyu Abubakar has said.
Abdulganiyu, who is the
National President of Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL) further decried that, trafficking under whatever guise is a gross human rights violation.
According to him, human trafficking is a global reality thence a crime that deceitfully exploits people including women, girls, youths and children.
Giving his position in a press release signed by Abdulganiyu to commemorate the European Nations Anti Trafficking Day said, any recruitment and or transporting of people into a situation of exploitation due to their vulnerability such as a result of unemployment, homelessness, illiteracy among others constitutes trafficking.
“”Victims/Survivours of human trafficking are often faced different forms of exploitations which include forced/child labour, forced marriage, prostitution and organ harvest’.
While noting that some criminally minded cartels sees trafficking as lucrative despite it’s devastating side effects on the victims, Abdulganiyu quoted United Nations report on human trafficking as saying, “”Human trafficking earns estimated profits of $150 billion annually for traffickers, with $99 billion from commercial sexual exploitation.
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“‘Also, an estimated 71% of human trafficking are women and girls while men and boys account for 29%””.
Bringing the scenario back home, Abdulhaniyu said none of the states in Nigeria, that doesn’t suffer the consequences, adding however that it is difficult to establish the prevalence of human trafficking in Nigeria due to dearth of data.
Andulganiyu, the National President of NACTAL, said
the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) stated that seventy-five (75%) percent of those who are trafficked within Nigeria are trafficked across states, while 23% are trafficked within states. Only 2% of those trafficked, are trafficked outside the country”.
Continuing, Andulganiyu said, “”Nigeria is a source, transit, and destination state for women and children subjected to trafficking in persons including forced labour, sexual exploitation and forced prostitution.
“While trafficking affects every part of the state reported cases show that women and girls are mostly trafficked within and outside Nigeria particularly for involuntary domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, forced prostitution and street vending among others””.
Looking at the factors giving rise to trafficking, Abdulganiyu listed poverty, youth employment, lack of educational and economic opportunities, displacement, and ignorance amongst others exposes thousands of women and girls to falling victims of traffickers who capitalized on their vulnerability to recruit, transfer and harbor them for the purpose of exploitation.
In his submission, Abdulganiyu appealed to
stakeholders in Nigeria such as the religious leaders, traditional rulers, community influencers, opinion leaders, youth leaders, women groups, the organized private sector and other Civil Society Organization to support the efforts of government in ending human trafficking in the nation by empowering the poor and vulnerable families in their various localities.
