Juliana Taiwo
9 February 2005
Abuja — Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Hassan Lawal, has revealed that Nigeria serves as a significant source, transit and destination of over two million women and children trafficked annually across the globe.
The minister, represented by the ministry's Permanent Secretary, Dr. Timiebi Koripamo-Agary, disclosed this while quoting the first report of Dutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings at the opening of a four-day workshop on Data Collection for Baseline Studies on Human Trafficking put together by International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the ministry.
He said with the dearth of information on trafficking and forced labour, there was the need for better understanding of how the problem can be tackled.
"According to the report, between 700,00 and two million women and children are trafficked worldwide each year. Nigeria has been identified as significant in this trade as a source, transit and destination country," he said.
Lawal said though much publicity has been given to issues of trafficking in women for the purpose of prostitution and the case of children for domestic labour, existing cases of trafficked male victims in other exploitative or forced labour "maybe more than have so far been reported or estimated."
He added that investigations by the inspectorate department of the Ministry shows that exploitative labour goes on in the formal sector of the economy which had led to workers being placed on casaulisation for a period of 15 years or terms of employment. He expressed concern over trafficked Nigerians working in the formal sector in the destination countries who are faced with similar situations, conforming that exploitative and forced labour does exist and are abound.
He disclosed that government in recognition of the magnitude of the problem recently ratified ILO Convention on labour, child labour and human trafficking. "The ministry is in the process of labour laws with a view to making them more effective, especially in line with ILO standards related to fundamental principles and rights of work."
In his remark earlier, ILO Country Director, Mr. Cornelius Dzakpasu, represented by Sunny Uku, ILO official, said the data collected for baseline survey is ILO's newest project designed to address the structural dimensions of the demands and supply aspect of forced labour and trafficking. "It's goal is also to eradicate and prevent forced labour and trafficking in Nigeria and the West African sub-region in general."
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