The Deputy Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Hon Maria Edeko, on Thursday, urged members of the State Transport Authority (ESTA) to develop policy framework in the fight against the menace of trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants.
Edeko spoke at the end of a two-day training workshop organised by the Centre for Development and Cultural Interchange (CDCI) in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
She added that the State Assembly was ready to give legal backing to such framework.
She commended the support of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development and Ministry of Justice, Netherland, for their efforts in supporting the fight against the danger of human exploitation and deprivation.
"Transport sector plays a major role because it has to do with movement of people. The training is an eye opener for the body. Edo State Transport Authority should explore the option of developing a policy and take it to the Executive to see and thereafter be put into law and as a Assembly, we are ready to partner and develop the policy," Edeko stated.
A resource person and executive director, Patriotic Citizen Initiative (PCI), Comrade Osita Osemene, who spoke at the two-day training for stakeholders, said most transport companies were unknowingly involved in human trafficking.
He said transport authorities are stakeholders in the fight against human trafficking, irregular migration and smuggling of migrants, hence the training workshop is vital to the transporters.
Osemene urged attendees at the training workshop to always alert the appropriate authorities whenever there is a red flag to enable the rescue of victims.
"Basically, our area of focus is the protection of migrants, in terms of promoting their dignity and to ensure they are integrated back to the society.
"This training is very important for transport authorities, those that regulate the transport sector. They are critical stakeholders and first contact that have direct contact with the transport organisations and they need a practical understanding about human trafficking.
"One of the key things this programme is coming out with is to equip them with the knowledge which will help them to transfer the knowledge to the beneficiaries, who are the transporters," Osemene stated.
In his remarks, the executive director of CDCI, Emmanuel Sule, explained that the involvement of stakeholders like the Edo State Transport Authority (ESTA) was to get the support and cooperation of operators in the sector.
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According to Sule, "Since 2023, we launched the transport union against trafficking in persons project which involves in training drivers and transport operators and how to identify and report trafficking in persons to the law enforcement agencies. After some time, we discovered that it was really vital to get government agencies involved.
"As a non-governmental organisation, there is really nothing we could do. Getting the Edo State Transport Authorities involved is a strategy we developed. So that they can mandate or compel transporters to follow the necessary guidances that would help us reduce the movement of Edo people through vehicles to various states.
"We are building the capacity of the ministry's staff to understand the dangers and what it entails to reduce the problem of human trafficking and irregular migration," Sule added.
Also, the Director of Transport Planning, ESTA, Engr. George Aghahowa, in his brief remarks, said the training was an eye opener for transporters in understanding strategy and method of identifying trafficked victims in the line of their duty and report such to the appropriate authorities.
The highpoint of the training was the presentation of certificates to participants at the event.
