Panelists at the one-day webinar held in commemoration of World Day against Trafficking in Persons, organized by Girls Get Equal, have identified the quest for greener pasture at all costs as one of the major factors contributing to human trafficking in Nigeria.
Speaking on the theme of the day: “Trafficking in Persons: Use and Abuse of Technology”, the panelists highlighted the several ways in which technology has contributed to the increase in the rate of trafficking globally and how it can be turned around and utilized to eradicate trafficking in persons.
One of the panelists, Blessing Oladunjoye, award-winning journalist and disability Rights advocate, enumerated poverty and the false promise of greener pastures as some of the major contributing factors to the increase in the rate of trafficking.
While sharing measures to prevent Nigerians from falling victims to trafficking, Ms. Oladunjoye advised people to be careful of opportunities that may seem too good to be true.
“These traffickers are advanced and they have devices which they use to capture their potential victims. Be careful when somebody comes to you with an offer that is too good to be true. Traffickers can come under the guise of job opportunities offered or even potential relationship partners. Ask thorough questions to ensure you don’t fall victim,” Oladunjoye warned.
She recommended collaborative support among relevant stakeholders as part of the efforts to tackle human trafficking.
On his part, Abdulrazak Abubakar; a humanitarian and gender Rights Advocate emphasized the need for the government to work with non-governmental organizations and civil/non-civil societies to create more awareness about the gimmicks of traffickers, adding that, it is the role of every member of the society to look out for themselves and others within the society and contribute their quota in ending trafficking in persons (TIP).
Abubakar shared that trafficking is a global problem and the government should source software that may be used to track down traffickers both online and offline. He further advised that more awareness programs should be organized so that more people can be aware of the dangers of trafficking and be informed on how to protect themselves from being trafficked.
The Social media team lead for GGE, Courage Umunna presented some infographs to highlight key issues regarding human trafficking. The webinar was moderated by Temitope Obadofin.