Foundation Takes Anti-Human Trafficking Campaign To Benin Markets

By Usman Aliyu

The Africa Youth Growth Foundation on Wednesday embarked on anti-human trafficking sensitisation in major markets in Benin.

Leading the campaign, Adams Omoba, Programme Manager of the foundation in Edo, said the activity was part of a project of the non-governmental organisation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the rally, which kicked off at the Oba market went through Lagos Street market to New Benin market, among others.

Omoba said the project tagged, Reintegration, Empowerment and Sensitisation for Trafficking In Persons Programme (RESTIPP), was to provide support for the victims of human trafficking in the state.

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“This sensitisation exercise is part of the projects that we call Reintegration, Empowerment and Sensitisation for Trafficking In Persons Programme.

“The project is actually about reintegrating victims of trafficking, specifically women.

“The project has highlighted 50 beneficiaries that are supposed to go through vocational skills training and also go through psycho-social support.

“We understand that people coming from that journey have a lot of traumatic experiences that they need to come out from before a proper reintegration can take place,” he said.

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The programme manager said the foundation had inculcated training in vocational skills and psycho social support through counselling on the beneficiaries.

“The last part of the project is to seek redress for some of them through the law because we understand that some of them come back with some problems that are related to legal issues.

“So we are offering them opportunities to seek redress wherever that it is needed. So, basically that’s what the project is about,” he explained.

The project targeted Benin being a place with issues of trafficking in persons.

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“We also joined NAPTIP, which is our major partner in the world day against trafficking and this sensitisation today is actually the climax of the sensitisation activities.

“Beneficiaries are undergoing training. They are in the sixth week of the training now. The training will run up till December.

“They are also concurrently going through counseling,” he asserted.

He said the project was being funded by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). NAN