Emerging Crimes - Trafficking in Human Beings

Countering Trafficking in Human Being from Nigeria

6. NGOs networking and cooperation with Italian and European NGOs

When dealing with victims of trafficking, it is important to act harmoniously in both, the country of origin and in the country of destination. In this view, the international NGO network is highly instrumental to Nigerian and Italian NGOs in so far as it helps them in joining efforts, coordinating initiatives and avoiding unnecessary duplications in the field of victims’ assistance and reintegration.
To ensure that the victims of human trafficking both in Italy and Nigeria receive better assistance and support, on 23 October 2008 UNICRI, in cooperation with Association TAMPEP, organized the first meeting to create a network of Nigerian and Italian NGOs working in the fields relevant to counter human trafficking. The creation of the network aims at putting NGOs directly in contact with each other and to facilitate their exchange of information and expertise.
In order to expand the network and to cooperate with European NGOs as well as to provide ENCATIP and NAPTIP with relevant information and experience, a representative of Greek NGOs dealing with assistance to victims of human trafficking in Greece, participated in the training “Providing Services to and Case Management of Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings in Nigeria” which took place on 13-17 July 2009 in Abuja, Nigeria.
The Italian NGO network coordinated by Associazione TAMPEP as of September 2009 established contacts and partnership with 106 NGOs and associations dealing with issues relevant to human trafficking from Nigeria all over the Italy.

Four events have been organized on the issues and topics suggested by the network and the regional counterparts.

A seminar entitled “Victims of trafficking from Nigeria: magical-religious rituals and difficulties of integration” held in Bologna on 27th of March 2009 with the participation of relevant regional institutions.

A meeting with the representative from Nigerian Embassy in Rome entitled “Seminar with Italian associations, regional institutions and services dealing with Nigerian victims of trafficking” was organized on the 17th June 2009 at UNICRI HQs in Turin. The meeting was attended by regional institutions’ representatives and NGOs comprising the Italian NGO network was aimed at establishing and facilitating contacts between institutions assisting Nigerian victims with the Nigerian Embassy. 

The NGO network requested the organization of a further technical meeting for social operators on the issue of improving assistance to Nigerian trafficking victims, UNICRI organized this workshop on the 9th of October 2009 hosted by Save the Children Rome. The seminar entitled "Trafficking from Nigeria to Italy: Where We Stand - A view of the social workers” was therefore dedicated to the exchange of current experiences and challenges in the field of victim assistance throughout regions in Italy which are affected by human trafficking from Nigeria, enhancing proper coordination and communication modalities on related activities. UNICRI received more than 90 applications from interested participants of the field. Due to the limited places available, only the first 75 requests of participation were possible to accept. The meeting brought together social workers and cultural mediators, NGOs coordinators and officials of regional authorities from all over Italy and contributed to enhancing collaboration efforts in assistance to the victims of trafficking in Italy. The seminar participants discussed and shared experience on legal and practical issues of assistance to victims of trafficking from Nigeria to Italy, focusing mainly on challenges they face on regional, national and transnational level and identifying possible follow-up activities.  

Most recently, on March 25th 2010 UNICRI organized a seminar in Rome at the ‘Cassa Nazionale di Previdenza a Assistenza Forense’ in collaboration with UFTDU (L’uinione forense per la tutela dei diritti dell’uomo) with the aim of Information awareness to confront the everyday experience of human trafficking and give additional knowledge in this field. The seminar concentrated on the legal and practical aspects of victim assistance. The 200 Participants were mainly lawyers, persons from various social institutions or from Italian ministries.

Thanks to the contribution from the Greek Government, and with the purposes of building upon the achievements of the current programme, UNICRI organized a workshop in Athens on December 3rd 2009 titled “Preventing and Combating of Trafficking in Nigerian Girls and Women to Greece: Challenges and Ways Ahead”. The workshop was aimed at discussing the emerging trend of human trafficking in Greece with the involvement of all relevant State and law enforcement institutions, as well as representatives of local NGOs and associations working in the field. UNICRI representatives also facilitated a meeting the following day with 10 relevant local NGOs working with trafficking victims in Greece to get a more in depth perspective of the situation in Greece.