Kemi Ogedengbe
24 February 2004
The Wife of the Vice President, Chief Amina Titi Atiku Abubakar, has said that there are about 16 million working children lured into labour through trafficking.
Speaking at a five day workshop on "Measures to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings in Benin, Nigeria and Togo," Mrs. Abubakar said that these three countries remain as major links in the operational activities of human traffickers.
She said that because of the enormous impact of trafficking in persons on the health, social, legal, political and economic life of a nation, concerted efforts should be made to stem the ugly tide before it goes out of control.
Besides, she said that one major casuality of human trafficking is our external image as a nation as the phenomenon tends to scare potential foreign investors and subject Nigerian travellers to embarrassment.
Mrs.. Abubakar noted that the heaviest cost of the result of the scourge of human trafficking and child labour is under development. "It is clear therefore that the trade is on ill-wind that does not blow anyone any good."
She commended the United Nations Office on drugs and crime for initiating the project aimed at improving the collection and analysis of data and imformation on trafficking in persons.
Mrs. Abubakar called on the participants to avail themselves the opportunity to seek further knowledge through training, saying that the outcome of the training workshop would serve as a data bank to tackle cases of illicit trafficking in persons.
Also, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Justice Minister, Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN) said that the present administration is fully committed to the fight against human trafficking, saying that no efforts would be spared to ensure that the culprits are brought to book.
He said that the workshop would provide participants the opportunity to share their experience with colleagues from other places and to acquire greater skills in dealing with the problem of trafficking in human beings.
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