Awareness and education are key to beating human trafficking The role played by Nigerian Women Association Verona (NWAV) Lagos Chapter
From October to November 2019, the NWAV Lagos Chapter has organized several events and activities in order to emphasize the importance of Education as one’s of the greatest Human Trafficking prevention tool. The general public, the school’s management and teachers have a special role to play in fighting human trafficking, and it is crucial that we work towards increasing education and knowledge.
Thanks to activities promoted by NWAV during the previous months (30th July 2019: awareness raising event in the occasion of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, conducted at the Kosofe Local Government – Lagos; 2nd September 2019: opening of the Help Desk in Lagos for awareness raising on human trafficking), which gained high visibility in the local media, and following the feedback coming from the Gap analysis (Benin City 10-11st June 2019) Summary Report, the NWAV Staff have planned several activities focused on Education as a primary strategy to fight human trafficking.
11st October 2019: in the occasion of the International Day of the Girl Child*, the NWAV Lagos Chapter staff has been invited by Prof. Yemi Akinkuotu to promote raising awareness on human rights and child protection at this nursery/primary school attended by nearly 400 pupils. NWA Help Desk Officers presented to an audience of nearly 50 pupils (6-10 years old) and their teachers of the LASU (Lagos State University) Staff School a series of information related to the prevention of child abuse. Flyers of the Help Desk have been delivered.
7th – 8th November 2019: the NWAV Lagos Chapter has organized a two-day intensive seminar on awareness raising – with a special focus on Education – dedicated to teachers from schools in the Lagos area. More than 30 teachers have participated. Speakers with different background and experience have disseminate the topics related to Awareness raising.
Speakers invited:
– Dr. Vittorio Zanon is a social worker. He works at the Verona Municipality City Office (Italy) for Human Trafficking victims, in collaboration with the project NAVe Network Anti-traffiking of Veneto Region;
– Sr. Patricia Ebegbulem, Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Louis. She became involved in anti-Human Trafficking and Women Issues in 1996 when she was the National President of the Nigeria Conference of Women religious 1996 – 2002. In this capacity, she with her Executive founded the Committee for the Support of the Dignity of Women (COSUDOW), a Network which is in the forefront of combating human trafficking. Sr. Patricia is the coordinator of the Bakhita Centre (Lagos) and of the Thalita Kum network (International network of Consecrated Life against trafficking in persons) in Nigeria.
– Sandra Faith Erhabor, cultural mediator and vice-president of the “Nigerian Women Association Verona”. She has a long experience as cultural mediator in the Italian ‘street unit’ dedicated to contact Nigerian women victims of sex slavery. She is also involved in the projects for the socio-cultural reintegration of the returnee victims in Nigeria. During the seminar victims of human trafficking participated and presented to the audience their vicissitudes.
21st November 2019: the NWAV Lagos Chapter has been invited by the Chairperson of the Parents Forum of the Army Children Senior High School, Ikeja (Lagos) – as a direct consequence of the successful two-days Teacher training on awareness raising organized by the NWAV in the Help Desk office on November, 7th – 8th – to present a lecture on the topic: “Awareness Raising to Combat Human Trafficking”. The event took place in the school campus, were nearly 300 students (13-18 years old) actively participated. The NWAV Lagos Chapter Help Desk Officers presented the main issues and risks related to human trafficking.
* Since 2012, 11 October has been marked as the International Day of the Girl. The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights. Source: United Nations, https://www.un.org/en/events/girlchild/