Rev. Eyoanwan Assures Follow-up On Reported Cases Of Child Trafficking, Improved Social Justice

By Our Reporter 

The Wife of the Cross River State Governor, Rev. Eyoanwan Bassey Otu has promised to follow-up reported cases of child trafficking, cheap labour and all that is responsible for the flourishing of human trafficking in the State, while collaborating with national and international partners to also look at how to improve on empowerment of the poor, social justice and hunger.

Rev. Eyoanwan who was represented by the Special Adviser on Administration, Office of Wife of the Governor, Dr. Comfort Okoh, made the promise while flagging off the road work to mark the 2023 World Day Against Human Trafficking, themed, “Reach Every Victim Of Trafficking, Leave No One Behind,” stated that it is not just enough to punish perpetrators of trafficking, but also necessary to assist the survivors (victims) withstand the trauma thereafter.

According to her, “Sometimes, we try to rescue the victims of trafficking. When we rescue them, what happens to them? Do we rehabilitate them? Do we abandon them? Do we even go after those who are still in captivity of these human traffickers? What it literally means is that we including Civil Society Organisations, should do everything and government policies should come in to make sure that the people that are being trafficked are rescued and when they are rescued, we should strengthen the system to be able to punish the perpetrators.”

She informed that her Office is "partnering with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to combat human trafficking through strengthening the social system to also reduce poverty, noting that “issues of war and insecurity have also contributed to the issue of human trafficking, pointing out that human trafficking "transcends boundaries and we have to get people who are responsible for this and what kind of judgement accrues to them and we have to follow it to the end.”

Speaking earlier, the State Commander, NAPTIP, Dr. Godwin Eyake, explained that the exercise is to create awareness on Human Trafficking, stating that, “With this awareness, I am confident that the crime of human trafficking will reduce. When we talk about human trafficking, there are different segments to it. Some do direct trafficking, where they take persons either from the village to the city or from the city to outside the country while some decide to sell children or persons. Others traffic for organ harvesting which is also a crime.”

The State Commander, who spoke through the Head of Operations, NAPTIP, Cross River State Command, Mr. Jacob Oba averred that: “the awareness that we are creating now, will help to reduce the intended traffickers and those who are vulnerable, who are unaware of this crime to become aware and desist from it.” 

He called on relevant Government agencies to support NAPTIP in the sensitisation of people about the crime of human trafficking and to punish the offenders of this crime. “So when people know that a trafficker is punished, the other one who also intends to traffic will run away from it, knowing that crime does not pay,” he said.

According to him, “Cross River State command, established in August 28, 2020 and started operation in January 2021 and within that period till date, we have successfully rescued 169 victims of trafficking and successfully reunited them with their various families. We have also had over 50 cases reported and 59 persons have been arrested to this effect in relations to those cases. While some cases are still in court, we have successfully prosecuted 25 of them.” 

Also speaking, the Special Adviser Programmes, Projects and Events, Office of Wife of the Governor, Dr. Inyang Asibong explained that the World International Day Against Human Trafficking is celebrated every July, 31 to create awareness, adding that “it brings attention to the fact that we still have the plight of human trafficking, within us, with us and it is orchestrated by us. We want people to speak out against human trafficking.” She inferred that there are so many ways people traffic in humans, noting that one of the core mandate of the Office of Wife of the Governor is to collaborate with relevant government and security agencies to stop trafficking in persons. 

On her part, the Executive Director, Hope Ability Empowerment Initiative, Calabar, Mrs. Ntino Martina Ougboaya revealed that, the disability community are worse hit when it comes to human trafficking. In her words: “the older ones can take the younger ones who are supposed to be in school to be begging and taking them to another place to beg. So, human trafficking cuts across tribe, family background, race, and disability. But in our own end, they suffer it most because they do not have a voice. For instance, people with hearing and speech impairment cannot talk, you will see that when somebody kidnap or carry the person to another location, it is difficult for them to explain what happens. And when there is no interpreter to bridge the communication barrier between them, you will not be able to get it and the next thig, they can implicate them and out them in cell, thinking they are guilty of a crime, not knowing that they have been carried by an unknown person to a different location.”

It is worthy of note that NAPTIP is set up to prevent all forms of human degradation and exploitation through coordinated use of the nation’s crime prevention and law enforcement resources, to stamp out human trafficking especially women and children from dehumanizing and exploitative employment and usage and to ensure their rehabilitation and effective reintegration into society.