Human Trafficking in Nigeria: Causes, Effects, Consequences and Solutions
Do you know you don’t need to move out of your community to find victims of human trafficking? This is a global crisis faced by most developing countries. Human trafficking is rampant in Nigeria, especially with the high level of illiteracy in the country.
Read also: 500+ Nigeria Current Affairs 2018
To be firm with this, Human trafficking is everywhere in the country.
This article will be providing answers to the following search queries.
what are the major causes of human trafficking in nigeria
consequences of human trafficking in nigeria
effects of human trafficking in the society
causes and remedies of human trafficking in nigeria
history of human trafficking in nigeria
So, what's Human Trafficking?
Human trafficking is the illegal process of moving human from one place to another place for the
purpose of sexual abuse and harassment, labour exploitation etc.
Human Trafficking can also be defined as a criminal activity in which people are recruited, harboured, transported, bought or kidnapped to serve an exploitative purpose such as sexual slavery, forced labour, or child soldiery.
Wikipedia defined human trafficking as the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sex slavery, or commercial exploitation for the trafficker or others.
Human Trafficking in Nigeria
Marion said: The term “Human Trafficking” often conjures images of young girls being snatched off the streets or from airports and bus depots and forced into drugs and prostitute. Source: The Gazette.
When I was doing my research on this, I came across this on Wikipedia; I will do my best to sate it exactly as it was stated:
Nigeria is a source, transit and destination country for women and children subjected to trafficking in persons including forced labour and forced prostitution. Trafficked Nigerian women and children are recruited from rural areas within the country’s border.
The strings of words there mean Nigeria is the destinations of traffickers to get their victims who are mostly those from the rural areas in Nigeria. A “Destination” I quote signifies the role Nigeria plays in the human trafficking market.
Causes of Human Trafficking in Nigeria
Ever wondered, the cause of human trafficking in Nigeria? The causes of Human trafficking lies among us and the government. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you would be aware that; I’m a strong believer that we are all responsible for whatever happens in our country. I would do my possible best not to be sentimental and deliver the bitter truth about human trafficking.
You need to know about this, because change begins with you and I.
The major causes of Human Trafficking are:
1. Ignorance as a cause of Human Trafficking
"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity"
Ignorance is the condition of being uninformed or uneducated, lack of knowledge or information. Majority of the victims of trafficking are ignorant of their rights, while many don’t even know the consequence of their actions. Yes, we say the rural areas are a source of ignorant and uneducated people who are easily susceptible to human trafficking.
But,
Being a literate does not really show our immunity to fraud or human trafficking but only gives us an edge over others. One thing is to be a literate another is to be self-educated and updated. Many literate have fallen victim of their plans because of ignorance.
Ignorance is a disease that destroys millions daily.
2. Poverty: The Significance of Poverty in Human Trafficking
It is not just said that Nigeria has the poorest economy but it’s obvious in every sectors that the country isn’t improving at all or should I say Nigeria is slow to improvement. Though, I’ve nothing against the government; since I don’t work with them. Now has things may have its way, everyone now looks for a second job to back up their main income.
After the main job they resume somewhere else, just to make ends meet. If the learned do so to survive, then I wonder how the uneducated are surviving. To me, I see Nigeria as an arena for survival of the fittest. In order for the less privileged to survive, they also look for other means of survival which makes them susceptible to trafficking.
Child Trafficking is a major form of trafficking caused by poverty. Parents now hand over their children to traffickers for some amount of money. If you haven’t heard of child trafficking, Child trafficking is a form of trafficking which deals with trafficking children under the age of 18 for exploitations reasons; sexual abuse, child abuse and other illegal acts.
It’s heart throbbing to see children separated from their parents at tender age not to mention being sexually abused and harassed. {The Wickedness of Men}
Yes, Poverty has scattered so many homes, brothers and sisters being sent faraway to different distant countries. ( I can’t bear this at all).
I hope you this the way I see it and also feel the pains of the victims and their families in order to drive you to positive actions.
This leads to the next point. You’ve to read this:
3. Greediness
When it comes to this, many will say the victims are to blame.
NO, they’re not to blame.
When talking about victims, you’ve to see them in another light.
View them as one of the helpless in the world that needs your help, my help and others. When a patient who had an accident because of his own negligence is admitted into an hospital, the doctor does not take out his anger on the patient but treats the patient with the same way he treats other patients.
Same thing also applies here.
The victims are patients who need advices and supports. Though their mistakes cannot be overlooked, but can be done the right way. Many have fallen victim because of the hunger for a better life.
4. Unemployment
With the high number of unemployed in Nigeria, Nigeria has nurtured over time a favourable
environment for the growth of human traffickers. Lack of job has prompted majority of the large to wanting to leave the country in search of a green pasture.
“ It’s a recession when your neighbour loses his job; It’s a depression when you lose yours”.
“Of all the aspects of social misery nothing is so heart breaking as unemployment”- Jane Addams
“You take my life when you take the means whereby I live” – William Shakespeare
5. Political condition and War
Political instability is also one of the major causes of human trafficking in Nigeria. This plays its role indirectly. Political instability has made it difficult for the government to eradicate human trafficking in Nigeria.
If the cause of trafficking is investigated to the root, you will find out that the people behind it are our community leaders.
While finding some live cases, it was discovered that the victims are mostly deceived by the people closer to them such as Uncles, Aunties etc.
Consequences of Human Trafficking
It would be regarded as half-baked if we do not study the consequences and possible solutions to human trafficking.Results of human trafficking on the victims and the society:
Sexual Abuse
When discussing human trafficking, the image that comes to mind is sexual abuse. One of the major purpose of traffickers is to exploit their victims sexually.
Labour exploitation
The community where I lived is a vivid proof of labour exploitation. All over the community, you see young women (victims) hawking bread for the whole day. The painful aspect is that they are separated from their families and brought to a foreign land for labour exploitation.
Identifying the Victims of Human Trafficking
If I say this is what to look out for, to identify a victim, then I’m deceiving you. Though there are certain things that are common among them, but those signs are not seen in all some victims because of the threats and other things they have gone through.
When looking out for a Victim,
Laurie Charlie said that: You don’t have to look far to find human trafficking victims.
This statement answers it all. But the below could also be of help in identifying human trafficking victims:
1. Via trafficking, victims may not have a passport or any identifying documents in their possession. Well, this is for those trafficked outside the country.
2. Victims are maltreated
3. Victims may appear nervous and fearful
Agencies Established to Prevent and Control Human Trafficking
- National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP): This is a governmental agency established to eradicate human trafficking in Nigeria. It is founded under th 2003 NAPTIP law enforcement act and amended in 2005. If you have any information about human traffickers, you can blow the whistle in a way where by your identity will be kept secret.
- Woman Trafficking and Children Labour Eradication Programme (WOTCLEF): This is a NGO
organization that has made its impact in eradicating humana trafficking.
E-mail: wotclef@yahoo.com | Call: +234 - 803 -616-1672 | Country : Nigeria
