The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), on Wednesday launched the “I am Not for Sale” campaign in Benin, aimed at inspiring and empowering young women in Edo.
Mrs Julie Okah-Donli, Director General (DG), NAPTIP, said at the inauguration that the campaign was also to enable the young women to build successful future and homes in Nigeria.
Represented by Mr Arinze Orakwe, Director, Public Education, NAPTIP Headquarters, Abuja, Okah-Donli said the campaign was an initiative of the Queen of England Elizabeth II’s UKaid and NAPTIP.
According to her, approximately 80 per cent of Nigeria women trafficked overseas end up being forced into prostitution.
The DG disclosed that their male counterparts were equally trafficked into forced labour, being drug carriers and having their organs harvested in the destination countries.
She also noted that statistics from the current evacuation Nigerians from slave camps in Libya showed that every state in the country had now become endemic to the scourge.
Okah-Ndoli said that human trafficking and irregular migration now constituted a serious danger to society.
She added that nothing showed the atavistic nature of man more than his attempt to abuse the vulnerability of his fellow beings.
Earlier in his address of welcome, Mr Nduka Nwanwenne, the Benin Zonal Commander of the agency, noted that the launching of “I am Not for Sale” campaign was part of the agency’s sensitisation programme.
Nwanwenne, represented by Mrs Nosa Odeh, Head of Administration in the zone, said it was meant to discourage the young generation from the deceptive ways of trafficking young girls abroad in the zone.
He said the campaign was crucial to ensuring that messages against human trafficking and irregular migration got to all nooks and crannies in the country.
Similarly, stakeholders, in their various remarks at the event, described human trafficking as evil, and called for collaborative efforts to comprehensively tackle the scourge. (NAN)
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