Nigeria strengthens its law on the protection and assistance for victims of trafficking

Within the framework of the A-TIPSOM project, which fights against human trafficking and irregular migration in Nigeria, a workshop was held under the name ‘Validation and Technical Finalisation of the National Policy for the Protection and Assistance of Victims of Trafficking’. The objective of the meeting was to support the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in revising the current law on the protection and assistance for victims of human trafficking.

Despite the fact that Nigeria has had a national policy on the protection and assistance of victims of human trafficking since 2008, due to the new challenges and dimensions posed by the problem, the regulations have been under review.

Therefore, A-TIPSOM, which is financed by the European Union, implemented by FIIAPP and led by the Spanish Policía Nacional, is accompanying NAPTIP in validating and finalising the regulations in order to ensure that they are officially and legally acceptable. In addition, it is ensuring that the drafting of the law maintains the levels of compliance stipulated by international standards.

The objectives of the validation are to: enable participants to know and understand the various components of the revised policy; share opinions, understand, contribute, make observations and harmonise them in the document; develop a validated national policy on the protection and assistance offered to victims of human trafficking in Nigeria, which is consistent with international best practices; ensure that there is consensus and mutual understanding on the application of the document; and harmonise the document to present it to the Federal Executive Council with a view to its approval as a national instrument.

This activity will enable key stakeholders to standardise and approve the document in accordance with international best practices and help it meet the requirements for approval as a national document by Nigeria’s highest regulatory body, the Federal Executive Council.

Since human trafficking affects and impacts all countries in various ways and all human beings, particularly women and minors, protection and assistance services for victims are essential. For this reason, it is essential that these services have effective and up-to-date public policies that provide assistance to all the victims of these exploitative networks.