The European-funded Project A-TIPSOM Nigeria has commenced the training of some security personnel and members of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on the use of social media Apps to tackle human trafficking.
The two-day training was organised by A-TIPSOM, in collaboration with the International and Ibero American Foundation for Administration and Public Policy, using social media handles, such as WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook.
The participants included CSOs, the Police, Immigration and National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons drawn from the five South-East states of Enugu, Abia, Anambra, Imo and Abia.
Speaking at the training in Enugu on Wednesday, the Team Leader of A-TIPSOM, Mr Raphael Molina, said the exercise was part of their action against trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants into Nigeria.
Molina, represented by A-TIPSOM Communication Officer, Mrs Josephine Osuigwe, said the training became necessary as traffickers had developed technological means of recruiting and controlling their victims through online platforms.
According to him, recruiting victims online is now less risky than recruiting victims in person.
“Sometimes, when victims are recruited through social media sites, they never meet the traffickers in person,” he said.
Molina said that deploying the social media as tools to fight the scourge and smuggling of migrants would yield huge result, if participants adopted it in their fight.
He further said that the event was part of the organisation’s activities organised to commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD).
“The programme, which coincided with the IWD, focused on how trafficking in persons affected women who are vulnerable to it,” he said.
He said that women being caregivers in homes have a great role to play to ensure that children are brought up in the right way to avoid incidences of trafficking.
Mr Abdulganiyu Abubakar, the National President, Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL), said he attended the event to support the members in the zone on their advocacy and community engagement.
He said that 33 members of NACTAL from the zone converged on Enugu to train on how to use social media to counter the criminal act.
Abubakar, who said the training would be of great benefit to their members, urged traditional and religious leaders to support the fight against human trafficking in the country.
The Leader, Youth Child Support Initiative, Mrs Ijeoma Nnaji, said women had enormous work to do at home to ensure that children were trained the way they should.
Nnaji urged the participants to use their various groups to sensitise others, especially at the community level, on the danger of human trafficking.
“Due to ignorance, many rural women give their kids out without knowing where they are being taken to and the work they do,” she said.
She commended the organisers of the training for doing a great job.
A police officer from Ebonyi Command, Mr James Chibuko, said the police always support the campaign against trafficking in persons.
“It is only the Judases among us that often soil the police image by aiding and abeting the crime,” Chibuko said.