BENIN CITY- Justice Development, Peace and Caritas Initiative (JDCPCI), has called on the Edo State government to consider the activation of the Victims of Trafficking Trust Fund to take care of victims of human trafficking in the state.
The Executive Director, Uromi JDCPCI, Rev. Fr. Fidelis Arhedo gave the task as part of activities to mark the world human trafficking day in Benin.
He said for the government to make a headway in its fight against human trafficking, it must cascade its anti-human trafficking efforts to the rural communities by establishing antihuman trafficking response units at the local government level adding that a legislative review of the Edo State Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Law to accommodate this inclusion will make it possible.
Fr. Arhedo maintained further that the government must establish support mechanisms to help survivors of human trafficking recover physically, emotionally and economically pointing out that the Victims of Trafficking Trust Fund is a strong and sustainable mechanism that would go a long way to aid victims reintegration.
Arhedo reiterated that the state government must equip the law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute human trafficking cases, which involves training law enforcement personnel on identifying trafficking situations, gathering evidence, handling survivors Interview’s sensitively and the need to end the impunity, not covering up trafficking cases.
On his part, the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State Council, Festus Alenkhe, appealed to the federal government to incorporate the teaching of antihuman trafficking in the Nigerian school curriculum to be taught as a subject in schools.
He said, with this, pupils/students would be able to know the dangers in it and how to avoid them.
Alenkhe also appealed to the traditional and religious leaders to use the avenue they have to discourage human trafficking.
