NAPTIP Nigeria to develop new national action plan against human trafficking: Report

The development of a new national action plan against human trafficking in Nigeria is all set to process by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), according to a report by AllAfrica.

Olivia Okoroundu, UNODC Communication Associate reportedly said that NAPTIP called over 30 stakeholders to set primacies of the new national action plan, as the stakeholder include law enforcement agencies, civil society organizations, ministries, and international associates for the three-day workshop in Abuja.

The long-overdue development was halted after the expiry of the previous national plan in 2012 as the three day workshop would allow the partners to reflect the opportunity to present the lessons and the successes from the previous plans to identify the key priorities in the fight against human trafficking in the forthcoming years.

As the statement added, "with the technical assistance of UNODC, NAPTIP will organise further consultations and technical meetings through the course of 2021 to ensure the involvement of all relevant stakeholders, agree on their various roles and responsibilities but also to identify the resources required in support of the implementation of the plan, once adopted, and establish a strong monitoring and evaluation framework".

"The approved document will become the blueprint for all interventions against human trafficking in Nigeria, ensuring efficiency and greater synergy. It is therefore, my desire that all relevant stakeholders are involved in the process of developing this Plan of Action, so that it benefits from contemporary trends and good practices from around the world", Julie Okah-Donli, the Direction General of NAPTIP, stated in her opening remark.

Besides, Oliver Stolpe, the Country Representative to Nigeria, United NATIONS Office on Drugs and Crime stated: "despite progresses, further efforts are however needed to enhance the criminal justice response to trafficking in persons which remains a 'high profit - low risk crime. The development of a new National Action Plan provides us all with an opportunity to identify and address the current challenges in effectively preventing and combatting human trafficking in Nigeria, while ensuring the rights and protection of victims."

Adding to it, Manuel Muehlebach the Migration Adviser at the Embassy of Switzerland in Abuja said: "the fight against human trafficking constitutes an important area of cooperation between Nigeria and Switzerland. The development of the National Action Plan will serve as a strategic document that will guide stakeholders in the fight against human trafficking in Nigeria."