Conference on human trafficking set for August

An international conference is to be held from 1 to 3 August in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, to develop a framework for combating human trafficking and child labour.

The overall goal of the conference is to make the combating of human trafficking and child labour a priority on national, regional and international political agendas, Mike Mku, special adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo on human trafficking and child labour said in a statement.

At the initiative of Obasanjo, countries identified as focal points in human trafficking and the use of child labour have been invited to participate in the conference, the statement said. They include: Algeria, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon and Morocco in Africa; Belgium, France, Italy and Spain in Europe; and China, Japan and Saudi Arabia in Asia. The United States is also expected to send representatives.

Local and international NGOs have been invited to play a key role at the conference, which is being organised with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the statement added.

UNICEF estimates that up to 200,000 children are trafficked annually in West and Central Africa. According to a study by the International Labour Organization (ILO) about 1.2 million children are trafficked worldwide each year. However, ILO adds that the activity is often imperceptible and, therefore, difficult to track and counter.

Nigeria has been identified as a major centre of the illicit trade in human beings, acting as a provider, receiver and transit point. The trafficking is fuelled by widespread poverty and the fact that immigration authorities lack the capacity to check movements across porous borders.

A fact sheet produced by UNICEF shows that between 60 and 80 percent of girls involved in the sex trade in Italy were Nigerian children whose average age was 15 years. According to UNICEF, an average of 10 children pass through Nigeria’s borders daily, either coming from neighbouring countries or being taken abroad to work as labourers or prostitutes.

Nigerian officials said the Abuja conference would focus on identifying the causes, magnitude and patterns of the problem, examining its impact on sustainable development, and developing strategies for effective prevention, rehabilitation of victims and punishment of offenders.