…Takes Advocacy To Schools, Rural Communities in Delta
The twin evil practice of human trafficking and irregular migration among youths and minors common today in Nigeria and African continent has brought many untold hardships and degrading of integrity and disrepute to the black race.
The Project Officer, International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), Ijeoma David Ukoko has revealed that irregular migration for greener pastures can lead to undesirable experiences and may end up turning into human trafficking.
The donor agency, with headquarters at Vienna Austria deemed it necessary to conduct an awareness workshop for principals and management of secondary schools in Delta State, recently.
Speaking in Asaba, the state capital, the project officer explained that the importance of the STEAP sensitization workshop was one of the joint project targeted on the schools where children and parents could be reached in discussions and regular interactions.
She said ICMPD has organizational mandate to control and reduce these illegal, irregular or undocumented migration among youths, minors, and adults, adding that the under-aged persons are always easy preys to the trafficking cartels who promised them heaven and earth before taking them away to foreign lands where they will take advantage of them.
The project officer emphasized the essence of the workshop to include training the trainer so as to expand the advocacy to as far as the people can be reached.
She said that participants were expected to help the schools and the community to prevent every act of human trafficking and irregular migration by teaching this body of knowledge in civics or social studies.
The mission is to make this agenda or mindset to be sustainable so that the present generation will not make the same mistakes their parents made and to teach the students how to protect themselves and when to resist by simply saying no.
This generation must must be informed that it’s not always greener in other people’s lands as they were being told. Schools should influence the mindset of the learners and parents teachers Associations and their nearest communities.
According to Ijeoma Ukoko, ICMPD worked with or in conjunction with NAPTIP, a federal agency that is working against illegal irregular migrations, Ministries of Women affairs Justice and Youth Development.
She said that very soon they shall be launching a new platform called “School Vanguard”which will bring the advocacy to doors of the grassroots.
“We work in alignment with government existing laws and provide sponsorships to Non government organizations that have similar ideologies
This organization frowns against human trafficking, Child labour or abuse, and irregular migration.We are happy that Nigeria have existing laws prohibiting these vices because of the stringent penalties have been put in place to serve as deterrent for intending offenders”.
“The Ministry of Interior is aware that we are carrying out these advocacy in Delta, Edo, Ogun, Enugu and other states of Nigeria based on the existing statistics.Going forward we wish to regularly engage stakeholders by training and monitoring and acessment of imparts of our efforts on the target audience.
“Finaly, we have skill acquisition platform, making interested persons useful, rehabilitating rescued victims or returnees and creating vibrant livelyhood for willing persons
