The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has inaugurated anti-human trafficking and violence against persons vanguards in eight more schools in Delta State.
This brings to 10 the number of schools where the vanguard has been inaugurated in five local government areas in the state.
They are Abraka Grammar School, Abraka and Erho Secondary School, Erho-Abraka in Ethiope East Local Government Area, Igbonine Grammar School, Ozoro, in Isoko North and St. Michael College in Isoko South Local Government Areas.
Others are Okpanam High School, Okpanam, Unity Model Secondary School, Okpanam, Madonna School for Children with Special Needs (Inclusive), Okpanam and St. Thomas’ College, Ibusa, all in Oshimili North Local Government Area, as well as West End Mixed Secondary School, Asaba and Osadenis High School, Asaba, in Oshimili South Local Government Area.
The inauguration came under the Schools Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP), bringing to an end the first phase of the exercise.
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STEAP is a project of the federal government, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and implemented through NAPTIP in collaboration with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in Nigeria to support the fight against human trafficking
Edo Zonal Commander of NAPTIP, Mr. Sam Offiah, while inaugurating the vanguard in the schools, described trafficking as modern-day slavery, adding that the inaugurated students are being empowered on how to detect, identify, prevent and report cases of human trafficking.
He said that the target of traffickers are secondary school students as they could be easily confused and distracted, noting that “if they were not informed on the dangers, they would fall victim.”
Speaking at the events, Mrs. Ijeoma David-Ukolo, STEAP Project Officer, said that advocating the campaign to secondary schools became necessary because students are a vulnerable group, and the target destination is mostly European countries.
