Campaign against human trafficking and violence against persons in secondary schools was Monday launched by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in Delta State.
The Commander, NAPTIP Benin Zonal Command, Mr. Sam Offiah, who flagged off the inauguration of the Anti-Human Trafficking Vanguard in Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, said the sensitisation had become imperative to ward off the predators from preying on the students.
NAPTIP in partnership with Delta Government formally inaugurated 30 students as Vanguards in Abraka Grammar School, and another 30 students in Erho Secondary School, both in Abraka as the Agency’s ambassadors in the schools.
Offiah said the target was to cover 50 secondary schools in the State within a given space of time.
He, however, said the Agency in this first phase would cover 10 secondary schools this week which had been flagged off in two schools in Abraka.
The Commander said that the students were the vulnerable group and target of traffickers, adding that stepping up the sensitisation with the inauguration of the students vanguard was the best way to curb the menace of child trafficking and ensure violence free nation.
Said he: ”Today, we have established two vanguards in the two schools in Delta and the essence is to enable them represent us and to speak to other students, community and their friends about human trafficking so that the scourge could be reduced to the barest minimum in the State.
“We know that the traffickers target these children because they are vulnerable. So, our objective is to make our nation free from human trafficking and help the children grow to their full potential”.
He said that the Agency would support and groom the students to become equipped with requisite knowledge on issues of human trafficking and to become advocates in their schools to enlighten others about human trafficking.
Stated he: “They are the soldiers, ambassadors of NAPTIP to make our children free from the traffickers. At this operational period we are raising 30 students per school but going forward, we expect that the club members would increase through the efforts of the pioneers.
“Over time, all the students would become ambassadors of NAPTIP through awareness creation and our target is to make every child ambassador and our goal is to make our nation free from human trafficking”.
On his part, Mr Maclean Eze, Deputy Director, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and Desk Officer, School Anti-Trafficking Education Advocacy Project (STEAP), said the State Government taskforce on human trafficking and irregular migration had become operational.
Eze added that the Taskforce was aimed at protecting the rights of the citizens and to prosecute human traffickers.
He advised the students to be good ambassadors of the State and shun greed but speak out on issues of human trafficking in their environment.
Mrs. Ijoma Nwanze, Secretary, State Taskforce on Human Trafficking and Irregular Migrations, said the Taskforce was set up by government to fight against and reduce the scourge in the State, adding that the vanguard would advocate for the State in all the schools and in the communities.
The Principals of Abraka Grammar School and Erho Secondary School, Mr. Lucky-Jones Dibie and Mrs. Edna Eremo respectively, lauded NAPTIP and the State Government for selecting their schools for the programme.
They pledged their support to ensure that the project succeeded and advanced the advocacy against human trafficking in the society.
Some of the students expressed understanding of the subject matter and pledged their resolve to be voices against human trafficking in their schools.
The highpoint of the event was the formal inauguration of the NAPTIP Anti-Trafficking and Violence Against Persons Vanguard in both schools and the unveiling of the NAPTIP sign posts in the schools.
