Ms Julie Okah-Donli, the Director-General, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), has advocated for a customised rehabilitation packages for victims of human trafficking.
Okah-Donli made the call on Friday in Abuja while receiving a delegation from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Justice who paid her a visit.
She said such packages should include those involved in irregular migration across the world in order to tackle the phenomenon holistically and effectively.
The director-general explained that the package should be developed with inputs from victims and focal counter trafficking institutions like NAPTIP in Nigeria.
Okah-Donli said the package would be implemented in accordance with the agreed modalities in order to ensure that the victims were not re-trafficked.
She added that it would also reduce the vulnerability of other segments of the society.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the visit was a follow up to the bilateral talks on migration related issues and return held during the Nigerian government delegation’s visit to Oslo in May, 2017.
Okah-Donli lauded the Norwegian government for its support and assistance to the agency through various interventions over the years.
She observed that there was the need to review the scope and contents of some of the rehabilitation packages for the victims so as to be able to achieve the desired results.
“It is critical at this point to review our rehabilitation packages and other assistance to victims of human trafficking and irregular migration in order to forestall any situation where they are re-trafficked.
“For example, it is not helpful to just train and buy a sewing machine for a victim who has no place to put and make money from it as such victim might be persuaded to sell such item and move out of the country again.
“Let us begin to look at a comprehensive package that would include training of victims, building their capacity to manage business successfully, renting a shop and payment of one-year rent for them while such victim will be followed-up,” she said.
According to her, under such programme there will be proper monitoring for two years before disengagement from the care giving radar of the agency.
She said that it was important to ensure that victim inputs were considered in form of choice of career so that their maximum cooperation would be guaranteed during the implementation.
Okah-Donli also solicited for effective intelligence sharing between the two countries.
Earlier, the Leader of the delegation, Mr Morten Aasland, said that the issue of human trafficking was key to the government of Norway due to its effects on any nation hence the visit.
Aasland commended NAPTIP for its roles in countering activities of human traffickers.
The envoy expressed the commitment of the Norwegian government to continue partner with NAPTIP in tackling the issue of human trafficking.
The delegation was accompanied by the Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Jens-Petter Kjemprud. (NAN)
