NAPTIP COMMUNIQUE ON WORKSHOP FOR OPINION LEADERS AND GATEKEEPERS @ ASABA, DELTA STATE.

THE NATIONAL AGENCY FOR PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC IN PERSONS AND OTHER RELATED MATERS (NAPTIP IN COLLABORATION WITH UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUG AND CRIME (UNODC) HOLDS ITS FIRST EVER SENSITIZATION TRAINING (WORKSHOP) FOR OPINION LEADERS AND GATEKEEPERS ON ISSUE OF TIP ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, 26 AND 27 MAY, 2011 AT NELROSE HOTEL, ASABA, DELTA STATE.

COMMUNIQUE
WHEREAS Delta State is one of the state known to very endemic with high incidence of Traffic in Person (TIP), especially, trafficking for sexual exploitation.

AND WHEREAS the State together with Edo State were created from the then Bendel State on 27 august 1991. Delta State Capital upon creation is Asaba. The State shares common boundary with Edo and Ondo State in the North – West, Imo and Anambra to the North – East, Rivers and Bayelsa State to the south – East.

AND WHEREAS about 60 Participants assembly at the first Delta State sensitization Training (Workshop) on 26th and 27th May, 2011 with Participants drawn from the Department of Public Prosecutions, Delta State Ministry of Justice headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions in the State; Officers of the Nigeria Police; Nigeria Immigration Service; NSCDC; Ministry of Women Affairs and Representatives of the Civil Society Groups.

Participants OBSERVED the cause of Human Trafficking to be the following:
• Poverty and Greed as lead Factors
• Lack of Employment opportunities
• Eroding morals leading to lack of decency and self respect, especially by young girls and parents who assist them to be trafficked
• Large Family size where children’s worth and monitoring is reduced
• Lack of basis infrastructure and development in the rural areas
• Poor security surveillance/controls and porous borders, which facilitates illegal movement of victims by traffickers and smugglers.
• Lack of understanding and knowledge of what is involve in working in Europe, especially in commercial sex work
THEREFORE, the Participants RECOMMENDED as follows;
1. That Government should intensify efforts towards empowerment to enhance living standards of the people, hence discourage TIP, especially through job creations;
2. That Government should make education more accessible and affordable to enable Parents take Children off the street thereby preventing Human Trafficking;
3. That Parents/Guardians should ensure that their wards are taught moral and culture value to prevent them from dressing indecently;
4. That NAPTIP should intensify sensitization and mass awareness creation to educate members of the public on the ills and dangers of TIP especially at the grass-root levels;
5. That Parents should encourage their wards to be empower through Vocational Tanning to dissuade them from idleness and over – reliance on white collar jobs;
6. That though NAPTIP should be pro – active to enable it achieve greater results;
7. That NAPTIP should set machinery in motion to amend section 21, 22, 47, 50 and 64 to make it more effective;
8. NAPTIP should be engaged into greater collaboration and partnership among all stakeholders to effectively curb Human Trafficking
9. That while Donors and International Partners are commended for what they have been doing, are encourage to lend more support to our local Partners towards the eradication of TIP;
10. That the protection of witness/victims should be strengthened by NAPTIP;
11. That there is need for greater advocacy on the need for families to be gender sensitive to prevent placing girls in disadvantage positions in the society;
12. Need to mainstream gender into all government policies and programs to ensure gender balance;
13. NAPTIP should establish State and Local Government office to bring the fight close to the people at the rural areas.
14. Need for greater funding of Agencies and Civil Society Groups to enable them achieve greater results
15. Need for greater/continuous training of Gatekeepers and opinion leaders who come constantly into contact with victims;
16. That NAPTIP should be made the custodian of the Child Right Act to make its enforcement effective;
17. That Government should encourage Parent through advocacy or Legislations to restrict or curtail excess child bearing by families beyond their ability to cater for;
18. That advocacy should target children in schools to ensure moral re-oriented thus making them useful adults;
19. That training should target Teachers and Communities at their Town Hall Meetings to ensure the sensitization of these segments of the populace considered most vulnerable;
20. That Government should monitor the operation of some Religious Leaders, some of whom contribute in fuelling the act of prostitution and trafficking;
21. That Government should check corruption which tends to make people believe so much in wealth/affluence – the greater motivation of children;
22. Government should improve socio – political and economic life of the people to discourage vulnerability;
23. That the Ministry of Women Affaire should follow – up by organizing seminar and training and by reviving the anti – human trafficking State working Groups;
24. On the overall assessment of the Training Workshop as contained in the Assessment from wherein Participants commended the Organizers of the training and agreed what it exposed them to understanding the danger and ill of TIP and expressed the hope that such training continue and is carried out from time to time.

Express appreciation to Delta State Government, Delta State Ministry Affairs and other relevant stakeholders in Delta State for housing the workshop for Opinion Leaders and Gate Keepers on issue of Traffic in persons and our partners/donors – the Governments of Finland, Switzerland and Norway, UNODC and NAPTIP for their financial and material support.

Asaba, 27 May, 2011