Nigerian agencies educate 40,000 students on human trafficking, launch student clubs

Over 40,000 students in Ogun State have received crucial education on the dangers of human trafficking through a joint initiative by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).

The Schools Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP) has reached students across 32 secondary schools. As part of the project, 30 students from each participating school have been inducted into Anti-Trafficking and Violence Against Persons Vanguard Clubs. These students received T-shirts, school bags, and educational materials, positioning them as peer educators within their schools.

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In line with the directive of NAPTIP DG, the command would leave no stone unturned to win the war against human trafficking saying that prevention remained one of the agency’s key strategies in tackling the menace in the state and the country at large.

Bose Jimoh, the Ogun State NAPTIP Commander, emphasized the agency's renewed commitment to intensifying public awareness and cracking down on human trafficking. She warned students against falling victim to traffickers who use deceptive tactics like fake job offers and promises of better opportunities abroad. Traffickers, she noted, exploit vulnerable individuals for commercial sexual exploitation, organ harvesting, debt bondage, child labor, and sextortion, often leveraging social media.

The Vanguard Clubs, now established in 32 schools with nearly 1,000 student members, aim to create safe learning environments by empowering students to educate their peers. The STEAP project, funded by the Dutch government, targets 50 schools in Ogun State and is also being implemented in Edo, Benue, Enugu, and Delta States. Previous phases have reached over 34,000 learners, with the current third phase focusing on 11 additional schools.

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Each school has 30 Vanguard members, bringing the total number of Vanguard members across the 32 schools inaugurated so far to nearly 1,000 students.