We ‘ll support fight against human trafficking in Nigeria – UN Women

Philip Clement, Abuja

The UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria & ECOWAS, Ms Comfort Lamptey, has reiterated the commitment of the Organization in the fight against human trafficking in Nigeria.

She also advocates that the implementation of non-discriminatory policies is crucial to addressing the perennial problem of gender-based violence and human trafficking in Nigeria.

Ms. Lamptey stated this at the launch and dissemination of the Gender Policy and Implementation Strategy of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in Abuja on Monday.

The project launch which is implemented by UN Women in partnership with the Government of Italy is targeted to end human trafficking and support the fight against sexual and gender-based violence.

Ms Lamptey commended NAPTIP for the initiative and synergy between the Nigerian and Italian governments as well as the partnership with the UN Women “towards enabling a gender-sensitive policy environment to prevent and combat forced migration and trafficking of women and girls in Nigeria.”

While praising the timeliness of the project, she, however, noted that “trafficking has a disproportionate impact on women and girls,” adding that past policies and intervention efforts were often “gender blind” and failed to significantly address the many challenges faced by the affected women.

She however asserted that “The NAPTIP Gender Policy will begin to close these gaps,”.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq said the launching of the Gender Policy Document will ensure that policymakers are encouraged to analyze the society critically and recognize discriminatory practices against women and men generally.

According to her, gender equality should not be misunderstood as a struggle or an attempt to highlight the superiority of one sex over another.

“Women have mostly been in the frontline of gender matters. However, with recent efforts to enlighten the public, a broader understanding of gender equality through gender equity is being mainstreamed.

“The NAPTIP Gender Policy which we are here to launch today aims at institutionalizing an internal gender mainstreaming strategy in NAPTIP and to ensure its operationalization in all entirety, to address gender gaps and contribute to the realization of the central goals of the National Gender Policy (2008).

“I believe that the launch of NAPTIP’s Gender Policy will complement the Agency’s operational strategies to curb gender-based violence and address gender gaps where they exist within the Agency’s internal operations. It will also chart a new course in the management of the Agency’s relationships with its various partners and clients,” she said.

In her address, the Director-General of NAPTIP, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim explained that the Gender Policy document is a project declaration between the Government of Italy and UN Women, under a two-year programme on prevention of forced migration and trafficking in women and girls in Nigeria.

She said the document will serve as a resource mobilization process for support to the sexual and gender-based violence Trust Fund, and as well, strengthen the network of stakeholders, groups and individuals at all levels in Nigeria working to end gender discrimination.

”It is my belief that this document will promote a gender-sensitive environment that addresses forced migration and trafficking, among others.

“The policy we are set to launch and disseminate today is to ensure inclusion of gender clauses and mainstreaming of gender into the policies, legislations, programmes and operations of NAPTIP, gender-based victim support with proper documentation and disaggregation of data and prosecution of male and female offenders with attention to their gender needs”.

The event had in attendance the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, Minister of State for Education Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Head of Migration, Italian Embassy in Nigeria, Mr Sabastiano Bartolotta among other dignitaries.