By Betty KHAZIKE
The National Orientation Agency, NOA, FCT, and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, have stepped up their partnership in the fight against human trafficking.
The partnership was reinforced when the director of NOA FCT, Princess Egbe Akenzua, led a team on a courtesy visit to the NAPTIP office in Abuja.
Princess Akenzua said the visit was aimed at strengthening the relationship between both agencies and finding better ways to educate the public about the dangers of human trafficking and other forms of exploitation.
The NOA director harped on the need for both agencies to work together to reach more people, especially those in rural communities, highlighting the importance of public awareness campaigns, community mobilisation, proper communication, training and referring victims to the right authorities for help.
In her response, Mrs. Ijeoma Uduak, Deputy Director of Public Enlightenment at NAPTIP, who represented the Director-General, appreciated NOA for its role in informing and educating Nigerians, and expressed the agency’s willingness to work closely with NOA to fight human trafficking.
The meeting also focused on some of the major issues affecting society, including child trafficking, labour exploitation, violence against persons, organ harvesting and the growing concern about trafficking within the country.
Both agencies agreed that more efforts were needed to educate the public and help communities identify and report cases of human trafficking.
As part of the outcome of the meeting, both agencies agreed to appoint a focal person to coordinate their activities, carry out joint awareness campaigns at the grassroots and provide training for NOA officers to improve their knowledge and skills.
The partnership is expected to improve public awareness and encourage more people to speak up against human trafficking and through this collaboration both agencies hope to protect vulnerable people and support the fight against human trafficking and other forms of exploitation in Nigeria.
