The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), on Tuesday commenced training for some media partners drawn from various parts of the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 4-day exercise holding in Asaba is part of efforts to fight human trafficking in Nigeria and to ensure accurate reportage of the issues.
NAN also reports that the training is in partnership with Action Against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants in Nigeria (A-TIPSOM NIGERIA).
A-TIPSOM NIGERIA is a Spanish project founded by European Union to fight human trafficking.
The training exercise is focusing on developing standard reporting templates for members of the trafficking in Persons media corps and officers of press and public relations Unit.
Mrs Fatima Waziri, Director-General, NAPTIP, in her welcome address, commended the media partners for the cooperation with NAPTIP in the fight against human trafficking.
Waziri, who was represented by the Director, Public Enlightened, NAPTIP, Mr Josiah Emeriole, said that the efforts of the agency toward fighting human trafficking had yielded fruits because of sound reportage.
“Many of you are driven by passion to work with NAPTIP to end the ugly monster called human trafficking; NAPTIP implores you never to relent,” she said.
She enjoined Nigerians to join NAPTIP in the fight against human trafficking by dialing the short code “627” to report any case of human trafficking or child labour.
The Senior Project Officer and Technical Advisor on Prevention, A-TIPSOM, Mr Joseph Sanwo, in a remark, said that the objective of the project was to reduce human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants.
He added that the project was equally committed to supporting the Federal Government to expand the knowledge of its core reporters
According to him, the project incorporated four institutions – NAPTIP, Nigerian Immigration Service, Non-Governmental Organisation and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) – to achieve its mandate.
Sanwo stressed that the project would work toward ensuring that all mediums used by human traffickers used in attracting the vulnerables are blocked.
Among other participants in the training are officials from Federal Road Safety Corps, Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour and the NSCDC.