Why experts want anti-trafficking taught in Nigerian schools

Stakeholders have called for the inclusion of anti-human trafficking studies in the curriculum of colleges of education across Nigeria to help combat the growing menace of human trafficking.

The call was made in Asaba, Delta State, during a one-day Step-Down Training of Trainers on Anti-Human Trafficking for more than 70 lecturers drawn from federal, state, and private colleges of education in the state.

Mrs. Ijeoma David-Ukoko, Delta State Project Officer for the Schools Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP), said the initiative would protect young undergraduates from traffickers while also exposing the dangers of human trafficking.

She explained that the training, organised by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in partnership with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), was designed to equip lecturers with the knowledge required to integrate anti-trafficking education into teaching. The project, funded by the Government of the Netherlands, is being implemented at community level in partnership with the Hope Health Organisation (HHO).

“This is a step-down training of lecturers as trainers, so they can better design ways of integrating anti-trafficking into the school curriculum. The idea is to build awareness within the school community and extend the knowledge to students and their families,” she said.

David-Ukoko noted that Delta is the second cluster in the project rollout, following a similar training for lecturers in Enugu State in 2024. She added that the four-year project has two years left, with plans to expand its coverage nationwide.

In his remarks, Mr. Sam Offiah, Zonal Commander of NAPTIP Benin Zone, commended the project for advancing anti-trafficking education beyond primary and secondary schools to higher institutions. He stressed that equipping lecturers with the right knowledge would help them empower students and reduce their vulnerability to traffickers.

“The infusion of anti-trafficking into the curriculum of colleges of education will go a long way to protect students. When secondary school leavers enter higher institutions, their lecturers will already be prepared to continue sensitising them,” Offiah said.

He, however, emphasised the need for stronger political will and reforms in Nigeria’s criminal justice system to effectively tackle trafficking, noting that “justice delayed is justice denied.” He also urged citizens to embrace the whistleblower approach, saying: “If you see something, say something.”

Also speaking, Mrs. Ijeoma Nwanze, Secretary of the Delta State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking and Irregular Migration, described the training as impactful, stressing that engaging colleges of education would deepen the fight.

“Our children who are within this vulnerable bracket will be less prone to traffickers when they are well-informed. Knowledge is power,” she said.

Participants at the training expressed appreciation to NAPTIP and ICMPD, pledging to apply the knowledge gained to drive the success of the STEAP project in Delta State.

Resource persons at the event trained participants on the elements, methods, and forms of trafficking in persons, as well as national and international counter-trafficking measures.