Ohwovoriole Lauds NAPTIP, ICMPD, Kingdom Of The Netherlands For Fight Against Human Trafficking, Intervention In Schools

By Onoriode Etatsemi

The Delta State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and Chairman Delta State Task Force on Human Trafficking, Mr. Ekemejero Owhovoriole (SAN), has described the efforts of NAPTIP in fighting human trafficking and its proposed intervention in schools in the state as not only commendable but also a step in the right direction.

Ohwovoriole stated this in his office in Asaba when a delegation of NAPTIP and ICMPD led by Mr. Josiah Emerole paid him an Advocacy visit on the Schools Anti-human Trafficking Education Advocacy Project (STEAP).

He said that the choice of these organizations to implement the Project in 50 selected schools in Delta State would impact on the children positively.

While stating that the female gender were more vulnerable to fall victim of human trafficking, Ohwovoriole stressed the need to catch them young and inculcate in them the things they should know about the deception human traffickers use in order for the children not to fall victim.

Ohwovoriole stated that children must protect their dignity and resist any attempt to dehumanise them by anybody as they grow up .

He opined that the organization was effectively carrying out their statutory duties both in theory and in practice and pledged the State Government’s support to the actualisation of the STEAP Project implementation in the state.

Also, the State Commissioner for Secondary Education, Mrs. Rose Ezewu, represented by a Deputy Director in her Ministry, Mrs. Justina Ishaka pledged the Ministry’s support for the actualisation of the Project and informed the team that the Ministry had school based management committees in schools across the state that would be handy for the Project.

Ezewu said that human trafficking was a gravious crime against the vulnerability of children, adding that the menace of human trafficking was against human dignity.

She assured NAPTIP that her Ministry would cooperate with them, emphasizing that human trafficking should not be given room to thrive in the state.

In his remarks, the leader of the delegation, Mr. Josiah Emerole who is the Head of Intelligence, research and Programs Unit, who represented the DG, NAPTIP, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi explained that the STEAP Project is a 4-years Project to be implemented in 5 project States of which Delta State is one.

He explained further that the Project will cover 50 secondary schools in each of the selected States pointing out that the purpose of the visit was to adopt the selected schools for the Project and validate the Baseline Assessment Report that was carried out in selected secondary schools in the State ahead of the State Launch of the Project, with the State Task Force on Human Trafficking as drivers of the Project in the State

Speaking further, the ICMPD representative, Mrs Rhoda Dia-Johnson explained that the Project will entail not only sensitization in the selected schools but also lead to the inauguration of anti-human trafficking vanguards and the execution of identified minor projects in the schools.

She added that Project will also sensitize and strengthen the School Based Management Committees in the schools and also impact the immediate communities where these schools are located.

The STEAP Project is funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in collaboration with NAPTIP.