Over one hundred school principals, vanguard coordinators and education administrators in Delta State have been trained on the use of the tools for the implementation of Trafficking In Persons /Violence Against Persons Vanguards (TIPVAP).
The training held under the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP) funded by the Government of Netherlands.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPO) organized the training.
NAPTIP Director General, Binta Adamu-Bello, said it was designed for the safety of participants, school children, and their biological children.
Represented by the Director of Intelligence (Research and Programme Development Department) in the agency, Josiah Emerole, NAPTIP DG noted that majority of victims of trafficking are of school age.
“Also, majority of them are in your school. To keep the children, we decided to set the vanguards against trafficking in persons and violence against persons.
“The Vanguard, I must say is a tool that NAPTIP developed over the years to catch the children young while in school”
He tasked participants to provide the kind of peer-to-peer education to the children.
“This will help them to use the knowledge to create awareness among themselves, their families.
“They will also be able to know those red flags on trafficking that they need to work against”, the DG stated.
She expressed delight with the conviction of over 700 persons and the rescue and reintegration of not less than 26,000 victims into the society.
Delta remains committed
In a goodwill message, Delta State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, and Chairman, Ekemejero Ohwovoriole (SAN), restated the state government’s commitment to tackling trafficking in persons.
Ohwovoriole, the Chairman, State Taskforce against human trafficking and irregular migration, represented by the state Secretary of the taskforce, Florence Nwanze, appreciated NAPTIP and ICMPD for choosing Delta to benefit from the project.
Delta State Commissioner for Secondary Education, Rose Ezewu remarked “I am aware that NAPTIP and ICMPD have provided a standard operating procedures and reporting mechanisms developed under the STEAP project.
“These will provide our school leaders the much-needed empowerment to detect, prevent and respond effectively to potential cases of trafficking and abuse”, he said.
Representative of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, Rhoda Dia-Johnson described the gathering as a significant milestone under the School Anti-Trafficking Education Advocacy Project (STEAP).
“Our schools must be safe, and resilient places where no child is vulnerable to exploitation”.
“Everyday, headlines remind us that school children continue to fall victims to human trafficking.
“This grave issue affects millions globally, with children and young people the most affected.
“Trafficking is not a distant problem. It exists in our community. This training is timely and critical,” Dia-Johnson submitted.
