The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and other stakeholders have urged the Bayelsa State government to apprehend and prosecute parents whose children roam the streets during school hours.
They made the call at a stakeholders’ meeting between the Bayelsa Command of NAPTIP and other government agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Bayelsa.
At the meeting, stakeholders noted with dismay the rising incidence of out-of-school children in Bayelsa State, saying it was one of the contributory factors that exposed children to human trafficking.
They appealed to the Bayelsa State government to, in conjunction with stakeholders, carry out continuous sensitisation campaigns to tackle the menace.
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They also sought the full enforcement of the Child Rights Law by apprehending and prosecuting offenders including erring parents.
They also encouraged citizens, and victims of human trafficking and gender-based violence to speak up and reach out to NAPTIP and relevant stakeholders for succour.
Earlier, the state commander of NAPTIP, Mrs Abieyuwa Ikhidero, urged participants to be relentless in the fight against human trafficking.
Other stakeholders at the meeting are the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and non-governmental organisations.
