Mr. Mohammed Babandede, Director of Monitoring and Investigation at NAPTIP (National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons) visited Finland in late September.
NAPTIP, found in 2003, is a governmental agency in Nigeria covering all aspect of anti human trafficking activities. NAPTIP investigates, protects victims, offers victims vocational training and raises awareness about trafficking. Nigeria prohibits all forms of trafficking through its 2003 Trafficking in Persons Law Enforcement.
During his visit in Finland, Mr. Babandede outlined the main factors contributing to the environment in which human trafficking thrives and empasized the importance of international cooperation in the fight against human trafficking.
According to Mr. Babandede, poverty is the root cause of trafficking in human beings. Further, greed and the lack of information worsen the situation. Nigeria, being a rich oil producing country, could provide food for the needs of all of West Africa but more than half of the Nigerian population live under the poverty line (1,25 dollar per day). The poor economic situation that people in developing countries find themselves in, greatly contributes to the spread of trafficking.
"If the resources are not spread equally among population the poorest will end up with no social services. If there are no possibilities for a better life, people will look for other alternatives", Mr. Babandede explains. People become victims of human trafficking mainly because they lack income. In their search for a better life in Europe and their desperation for employment, they become vulnerable to trafficking.
Ignorance, which can derive from illiteracy, is also a key factor in human trafficking. "There are examples of women who have been promised a job abroad in a supermarket and they end up as prostitutes, because they do not know that they can not work in a supermarket, if they can not speak the local language", Mr. Babandede describes.
One peculiar feature in the human trafficking phenomenon in Nigeria is the use of the tradition juju in order to pressure victims. The victims may be forced to take an oath in front of a juju-priest and they promise to be loyal to the human traffickers. The traffickers may take a stroh of hair or a piece of nail from the victim and this will constitute a symbol. "You can go where ever you want but I have part of your body and if you misbehave, I can even kill you. The girls believe this story and thus they become deprived of their liberties and freedoms", Mr. Babandede tells.
Nigeria is among the biggest countries of origin in human trafficking. The victims are mostly young women, who are being trafficked primarily for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Italy and Spain are the primary European destination countries. It is hard to know the exact number of people who fall victim to human traficking in Nigeria. Mr. Babandede does not give much importance to the numbers but rather explains that even one trafficking case is a problem and at the moment there are many more than one."
During the years 2003-2004 NAPTIP has offered vocational training to nearly 3000 women and helped many more. Even though Nigeria has demonstrated big steps in the Fight Against Human Trafficking, without international cooperation the phenomenon does not dissapear.
Mr. Babandede concludes that "The prosecution of the guilty is not enough. Countries should collaborate also in the vocational training of victims and their rehabilitation and reintegration into the society."
Finland has recently started its' cooperation with Nigeria in the fight against human trafficking. Her Excellency Ms Tarja Halonen, the President of Finland met trafficking victims during her visit to Nigeria. The Government of Finland has provided to NAPTIP through UNODC 820,000 euros in support of combatting human trafficking.
"Finland has come along way in a short time. Nigeria is a strategically important country in Africa and the support of Finland also shows her commitment in all of Africa", Mr. Babandede says.
However, he points out that even though Finland may not be a primary destination country for human trafficking, it may still be used as a transit route. "Finland does not exist in isolation."
