Disclaimer | Acknowledgements

Emerging Crimes and Anti-Human Trafficking

Nigeria

Countering trafficking in human being

The Programme "Preventing and Combating Trafficking of Minors and Young Women from Nigeria to Italy" funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is being carried out by UNICRI in cooperation with UNODC, Nigerian Institutions and NGOs from March 2008 to February 2010. Designed as a follow-up of the pilot project, which was implemented during 2002-2004 - [to find out more go to Phase 1 of the Programme], the present Programme intends to:

create conditions that reduce the vulnerability of women and children to trafficking from Nigeria to Italy through their educational, economic, social and cultural empowerment;
strengthen anti-trafficking capacities of Nigerian authorities, namely by establishing a fully operational and functional Monitoring Centre within the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and other Related Matters (NAPTIP) - [to find out more go to http://www.naptip.gov.ng/];
prevent trafficking by means of raising public awareness among population, assist victims of trafficking and foster their successful reintegration in areas of origin;
disseminate lessons learned and best practices in the field of anti-trafficking and victims’ assistance and reintegration.

In order to reach these objectives, the Programme envisages the implementation of the following activities:

Creation of the centralized database on investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases within the National Monitoring Centre
Prevention activities: Awareness raising campaigns
Women empowerment activities (information, counseling, orientation, education, training, skill acquisition, micro-crediting)
Local Nigerian NGOs training and capacity building
Action-oriented research on successful intervention modalities for Nigerian minors who were victims of trafficking in Italy
NGOs networking and cooperation with Italian and European NGOs
Establishment of Cooperation Platform between relevant regional institutions in Italy
Other events and activities

Map from www.mapsofworld.com, 07/2009

1. Creation of the centralized database on investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases within the National Monitoring Centre on Trafficking in Persons

As a result of the first phase of the programme, the Italian Ministry of Justice has offered as in-kind contribution the software system SIDDA/SIDNA 2000 used by the Italian National Antimafia Bureau and the Italian District Antimafia Offices in the prosecution of organised crime activities.

The system has been adapted to match Nigerian conditions and capacities and to fit priority needs of NAPTIP National Monitoring Center on Human Trafficking.

The company that developed and maintains the SIDDA/SIDNA 2000, CM Sistemi, has been contracted to develop and make operational the system in Nigeria.

The objectives, implementation plan, best modalities of the information exchange were discussed on various occasions during the meetings of UNICRI with CM Sistemi and NAPTIP IT experts.

The direct contact between NAPTIP and CM Sistemi was successfully established in March 2008 through exchange of needed information, and definition of steps for developing of the National Monitoring Center database. In September 2008 CM Sistemi presented the database model and discussed with IT experts within NAPTIP the activities planned for beginning the creation of a database system.

CM Sistemi experts evaluated the organizational structure of NAPTIP; main work flows; current ways of working and hardware to be used during the installation of the new system. NAPTIP, in turn, presented to CM Sistemi members two forms of data entry to settle in the current system, namely Victims Data Form and Traffickers Data Form.

Carefully selected technical staff of NAPTIP received training in Italy on 6-10 April 2009. This staff will later be expected to train others in NAPTIP so that knowledge and skills will be consolidated within the agency. Furthermore, NAPTIP users of the database will be trained in Abuja to become conversant with the new software on 6-10 July 2009. Participants include NAPTIP HQs and staff from 6 Zonal Offices: Sokoto, Lagos, Enugu, Benin, Uyo, and Kano.

To find out more about the functioning of the system please click here

2. Prevention activities: Awareness raising campaigns

ENCATIP, in coordination with UNICRI/UNODC, will carry out three state-wide awareness-raising campaigns in Edo State of Nigeria with special focus on minors in rural areas. The main objective of these awareness-raising campaigns will be to prevent human trafficking from Nigeria through disclosure of the risks related to human trafficking and through providing information on the involvement of criminal networks in this heinous crime.
In particular, ENCATIP will develop coherent messages addressing key audiences, design and produce additional information tools, promote strategic partnerships to foster community mobilization, develop information and messages to key audiences in Edo State targeted at different groups like minors, in and out of school, women, men, opinion leaders, government officials etc.
The activities will include:

School Outreach Peer Education Visitation
It is the intention of this project to purposefully select 3 schools from each of the seven local government areas making a total of 21 schools to which the team will pay visits during which counseling services, trafficking education and personal skills building classes will be carried out. Each selected school will be visited seven times. A club will be set up in each of the schools that will be linked up to existing NGOs in the localities who would continue the work after the end of the project.
Campaign visits to Markets
The visits to the markets will result in the enlightenment of parents and all adults in the vicinity of the markets and this would further enable the minors to resist human trafficking. During the visits, talks will be given on the issue of human trafficking and materials on the subject will be distributed extensively.
Radio Drama and jingles
Radio drama and jingles directed at minors will be produced and aired in Edo language and Pidgin English from one radio station that covers the entire state weekly. Hotlines will be made available for phone in purposes and a monitoring team of minors will be set up and given radios to monitor and evaluate the program. The drama will seek to give the audience factual information on the issue in order to increase their ability to identify and intervene in situations of trafficking.
Radio Debate Competition
A schools’ debate program will be conducted and given media coverage through the radio during the period. The debate which will involve school children will afford them the opportunity of speaking out on the issue of human trafficking. The involvement of children in the debates will enable them to internalize positive values on trafficking and become advocates for its prevention among their peers.
The awareness-raising campaigns will be launched in July 2009.

3. Women empowerment activities (information, counseling, orientation, education, training, skill acquisition, micro-crediting)

Experience gained with the implementation of anti-trafficking projects suggests that preventive strategies should adopt measures which produce results in the short term, such as information and awareness raising campaigns, as well as measures in addressing the underlying causes of trafficking, id est conditions determining the high exposure of minors and young women to trafficking practices and networks in a medium and long term perspective.

In order to assist in the prevention of human trafficking, there is a clear need for carrying out of activities addressing the root causes and the dramatic consequences of this crime. The aim is to facilitate the rehabilitation and reintegration of victims and to allow actual and potential victims to find viable alternative options to make a decent living. In this light, the need of empowering young women and minors and improving their socio-economic status is evident. Lessons learned from Phase 1 of the Programme suggest that, despite increased access to information, young women and minors urgently require training, education and micro-finance to start up an income-generating activity.

These activities will help equipping minors and young women with greater self-confidence and self-esteem, knowledge and skills as well as financial and material means that they require in order to cater for their own needs and their families’. In brief, a “minimum empowerment package” will be offered to pursue a viable economic alternative in their local context to that of being trafficked.

Human trafficking prevention as well as women empowerment activities are taken care of by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Edo State NGO Coalition Against Trafficking in Persons (ENCATIP) created during phase 1 of the Programme and consisting of 6 following NGOs:

African Women Empowerment Guild (AWEG);
Committee for the Support of the Dignity of Women (COSUDOW);
Girls Power Initiative (GPI) Edo State;
Idia Renaissance;
International Reproductive Rights Research Action Group (IRRRAG-Nigeria) Edo State;
Women Action Initiative (WAI);

For direct contact with ENCATIP: ngocoalition2003@yahoo.com

Since 18 December 2008, ENCATIP in close cooperation with NAPTIP started assisting vulnerable target groups and victims of human trafficking in finding viable alternative strategies to exit poverty and to become economically independent. The services provided are:

Assistance in family reunification;
Information providing;
Psycho-social, health and professional counseling;
Legal and administrative assistance;
Education and vocational training;
Skill acquisition and small loans for income generating purposes.

In order to ensure that victims of human trafficking and vulnerable groups can succeed in developing and managing a small income-generating activity, orientation courses and training activities will be carried out, including micro-business feasibility studies, business plan development, business management, accounting and loan repayment.

In terms of possibilities for establishing micro-businesses, UNICRI has recruited a research team from Benin City University to carry out an evaluation report of micro-credit activities of phase 1 with the aim of determining the scale of the activities impact and to identify possible improvements to be adopted in micro-credit activities during phase 2 of the Programme.

A panel composed of NAPTIP Zonal Office in Benin City and NGO Coalition made the preliminary selection and has provided UNICRI and UNODC with a list of 60 vulnerable persons and victims to be assisted by the project. The list of potential beneficiaries was prepared based on 2 questionnaires for vulnerable people and victims of human trafficking prepared by UNICRI.

ENCATIP has carried out the planning of the assistance and successful reintegration strategies by defining the roles and responsibilities of NGOs participating in the Coalition for the delivery of a “minimum package” of integrated empowerment measures.

An individually tailored ‘minimum empowerment package”: individual monitoring, ongoing counseling and assistance will be provided to the primary beneficiaries at the local level, until they are sufficiently autonomous in pursuing their ventures on their own.

The selection and orientation for the first 60 beneficiaries were carried out on 9 January 2009 and this batch of beneficiaries was trained by ENCATIP on 13-16 January 2009. ENCATIP’s Tender Board purchased the materials/equipment for the beneficiaries on 22 January 2009. On 30 January 2009 beneficiaries have officially received by ENCATIP the necessary equipment for the start of the small business activities.

As part of the women empowerment activities and in preparation of the micro credit loans, the sixty beneficiaries participated in an inception training course organized by ENCATIP in collaboration with NAPTIP Zonal Office on 14-16 January 2009. Issues covered by the training ranged from self esteem skills to micro credit management, as follows:

Body Image
Values and Value Clarification
Self Esteem
Vision and Goal Setting
Decision Making
Assertiveness
Communication
Gender and Gender Roles
Negotiation and Refusal Skills
Personal Financial Management
Migration Trafficking and Smuggling
Trafficking Tricks, Bondage, Rituals and Routes
Life of the Trafficked Girls and Consequence of Trafficking
Leadership

The selection of the second lot of beneficiaries will be carried out by July 2009. The beneficiaries will receive training, micro-credits and all the necessary equipment to start their small business activities.

4. Local Nigerian NGOs training and capacity building

Through training, capacity building support and technical assistance the Programme aims to strengthen the capacities of local NGOs in providing Nigerian minors and young women (actual or potential victims of trafficking) with needed services. The Nigerian NGOs have already received basic training during the implementation of phase 1 of the Programme. The current specialized training course for the Edo State NGO Coalition Against Trafficking in Persons (ENCATIP) was designed and developed by an Italian Association TAMPEP (www.tampepitalia.it/) in collaboration with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP). The Association TAMPEP has specifically designed a training manual for the training. The training course was structured as follows:

two-weeks of intensive training;
a distance-long training module;
and one week of conclusive training.

The whole training module is being carried out by UNICRI in collaboration with Association TAMPEP and NAPTIP.
NGO staff and their affiliates, implementing the project’s prevention, assistance and reintegration activities, benefit from training in areas such as counseling and rehabilitation of victims, legal protection and administrative support, provision of a ‘minimum package of empowerment activities’ and management of micro-finance schemes. Moreover the NGOs receive training in strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation and reporting. This allows them to better assist victims of trafficking and facilitate their successful reintegration and to carry out prevention activities with a broader outreach, coverage and impact.

From the 15 July till the 24 July 2008, the Anti-Trafficking Training for NGOs was held in Abuja. The training was organized by TAMPEP in coordination with UNICRI/UNODC. The training targeted members of the ENCATIP and NAPTIP personnel, and it covered victims’ assistance and social reintegration. Particular attention was paid to the needs and problems of trafficked minors, as well as to networking at a bilateral (Nigeria – Italy) and international level for victims assistance and social reintegration. To see the Agenda of the Training course click here.

The Training course was attended by 14 participants: 2 representatives of NAPTIP and 12 representatives of the NGO Coalition (2 per NGO). Fourteen experienced trainers from Nigeria and Italy, as well as from the UN and EU, participated in the course. Representatives of NAPTIP Headquarters and the Italian Embassy attended the opening ceremony.

A key strength of the training was the expertise of the trainers, who were able to provide local Nigerian NGOs with true accounts, real-life cases, and an in-depth understanding of issues, based upon years of practical experience. For example, NAPTIP trainers provided the participants with a review of legislation on trafficking, prostitution and migration in Nigeria, and they led the discussion on the actions needed to improve the practice of identifying victims. NAPTIP trainers delivered presentations on voodoo aspects related to the trafficking in human beings: particular attention was given to the historical background of voodoo beliefs, how voodoo is seen by the law and how it is used in modern-day Nigeria in relation to trafficking and exploitation.

The training course was designed to provide participants with a firm understanding of the major challenges and issues that Nigerian minors and women face in Italy. Moreover the program was designed to share with Nigerian NGOs the perspectives of a destination country as it addresses the phenomenon of illegal migration and problems of human trafficking. The overall training course was successful in attaining its objectives.
Following the successful accomplishment of the first Anti-Trafficking Training for NGOs, the long-distance learning component of the training programme started in August and will continue until May 2009. During this hands-on practical exercise the training beneficiaries go back to project implementation and put into practice what they have learned in theory, in order to evaluate the usefulness of training. During this phase the trainees will remain in contact with their trainers and receive via email additional technical advice and support to carry out activities.

The second one-week-NGO-training session in Abuja will tentatively begin in July 2009. It aims to build upon what the trainees learned in theory and in practice, as well as to help filling their knowledge gaps and reinforcing newly acquired skills. In particular, this second training session aims to increase and to improve the field research, local and international networking and skills in writing complete grant proposals. To see the Agenda of the July 2009 Training course click here

5. Action-oriented research on successful intervention modalities for Nigerian minors who were victims of trafficking in Italy

For the development of successful interventions aimed at the empowerment and reintegration of Nigerian minors and young women victim of trafficking, there is a need of a thorough assessment and evaluation of current modalities of intervention in Italy.

The research carried out in the framework of phase 1 of the Programme has shown that social protection schemes targeted to Nigerian minors in Italy present particular complexities, due not only to linguistic and cultural problems, but also to specific aspects of exploitative practices, involving debt bondage between the victims, their families and the exploiters, and the subjection to magic and religious practices.

In order to implement this component of the Programme, in May 2008 UNICRI solicited proposals for an action-oriented research on the services provided to Nigerian minor victims of trafficking in Italy. In September 2008, UNICRI selected and signed the contract with the Associazione Parsec (www.parsec-consortium.it/), an Italian research team for carrying out a 9-months action-oriented research (from September 2008 till June 2009) on the services provided to Nigerian minor victims of trafficking in Italy.

The research aims to explore the phenomenon of Nigerian minors trafficked to Italy for sexual exploitation in the 14 most affected Italian regions.

The Associazione Parsec has already carried out literature review on existing documentation in Italy and in the area of Benin City on intervention modalities targeted to Nigerian minors victim of trafficking. The methodology and approaches of the research were discussed during the meeting of the representatives of UNICRI with the team of researchers from Associazione Parsec on 14 October 2008.

In order to collect data and information aimed at the evaluation of the interventions targeted at Nigerian minors, the Associazione Parsec has developed and presented to UNICRI questionnaires for interviews with law enforcement experts, social operators and experts on the subject, and minors victim of human trafficking. Interview questionnaires along with a list of experts to be interviewed have already been circulated among Italian regional institutions.

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 assisting to victims of human trafficking in Greece, will participate in the training “Providing Services to and Case Management of Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings in Nigeria” which will take place on 13-17 July 2009 in Abuja, Nigeria.

7. Establishment of Cooperation Platform between relevant regional institutions in Italy

In Italy, in order to facilitate the coordination of efforts and pool resources to curb human trafficking, UNICRI has convened two meetings (on 16 October in Turin and 2 December 2008 in Rome) with the representatives of relative regional institutions, most affected by the human trafficking of Nigerian minors and women for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. These two meetings were aimed at creating a Coordination Platform between Italian regional institutions. This platform serves as a forum to exchange information and experiences in assisting Nigerian victims of trafficking in Italy and to develop an inventory of different initiatives and organizations operating in this field. By organizing meetings, it will be able to identify best practices, to discuss possible joint strategies to improve the communication and collaboration between different stakeholders and to pool limited resources in order to achieve common objectives.

8. Other events and activities

In the framework of the program “Preventing and Combating Trafficking of Minors and Young Women from Nigeria to Italy”, UNICRI envisages a series of information seminars for Italian associations and regional institutions and services dealing with trafficking victims to support their services, exchange information and strengthen their skills. The first such seminar was held on 27 March 2009 in Bologna on the issue of assisting psychological subjugation of Nigerian victims.
To see the Agenda of the seminar please click here

For further information in Italian please refer to this web-page: http://www.onuitalia.it/notizie-marzo-2009/161-le-vittime-della-tratta-dalla-nigeria-riti-magico-religiosi-e-difficolta-di-integrazione

To better assist the victims, representatives associations and regional institutions and services working in the field have requested an information seminar on the modalities to request visas and documents needed for Nigerian victims in need of assistance in Italy.

On 17 June 2009 in Turin, UNICRI with the participation of the representatives of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Italy and the representatives of Italian regional institutions and services, and associations assisting Nigerian trafficking victims convened a half-day seminar on the issue.
To see the Agenda of the seminar please click here