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Idahosa Moses | Benin City
THE Uromi Justice Development Peace and Caritas Initiatives (UROMI JDPCI), a non-government organisation (NGO), has called for the legislative review of the Edo State Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Law, promulgated in 2018.
Executive Director of the group, Reverend Father Fidelis Arhedo made the call at a social dialogue forum with journalists in Benin City.
He said the social dialogue forum is aimed at discussing the topic “Localising Trafficking in Person Response in Edo State by Localising TIP Response (LOTIP-R) cluster”, anchored by Uromi JDPCI.
He added that the project is funded by the State Agency for International Development (USAID) under its Strengthening Civil Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE) project and implemented in Nigeria by Palladium.
The Father Aghedo said the law should be reviewed to make provision for the activation of Local Government Area Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Response units.
He said that the Edo State Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Law 2018 in section 5 (1) makes copious provision for establishing a focal agency within the state to oversee the implementation of the law.
The Uromi JDPCI, however, noted that since the enactment of the law, the office of the task force and its major activities revolves mostly in the state capital, Benin City.
Aghedo said the task force has no significant presence at the senatorial or local government level where most of the recruitment by human traffickers is conducted.
He also posited that the law did not make provision for the creation of local task force against human trafficking.
He further said that it is imperative to have institutionalised structures at the local government areas to aid effective response to human trafficking to have a preventive rather than a reactionary approach to the prevention of human trafficking in the state.
“This network structure aimed at creating an approach that will help to strengthen prevention efforts by creating easy referral pathways that will improve effective response to human trafficking issues as well as support in the reintegration of victims of human trafficking,” he said.
Father Aghedo also called for the activation for Victims of Trafficking Trust Fund (VTTF), increasing funding for the task force and increase budgetary allocation for the implementation of the Edo State TIP law.
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