ICMPD, NAPTIP, and the Edo State Government are collaborating to combat child trafficking in West Africa and Nigeria by training 150 teachers on anti-trafficking education in schools.
The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) has disclosed that over 75 per cent of trafficked victims in West Africa are children, underscoring the need for prevention efforts “within our schools” as it launched a two-day anti-trafficking training for 150 teachers in Edo State.
Speaking in Benin, ICMPD Head of Office, Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the alarming statistics highlight the urgency of “leverag[ing] education as a powerful tool to prevent trafficking,” expressing optimism that the programme would equip teachers and the “larger school community” with skills to recognise risks and stay safe.
NAPTIP Director-General Binta Bello, represented by Hassan Tahri, described trafficking as “one of the gravest human rights violations confronting Nigeria today,” noting that “children account for more than 55 per cent of identified victims.” Edo State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Paddy Iyamu, acknowledged that the state has long suffered from the “devastating consequences of human trafficking” but stressed that “education remains the most powerful tool” for protecting future generations, adding that the training is “a strategic investment in the human infrastructure” needed to combat TIP.