FIIAPP commemorates European Day Against Human Trafficking in Nigeria

On the occasion of the European Day Against Human Trafficking, the A-TIPSOM project has organised an event in Nigeria to raise awareness and maintain the commitment to fighting this problem. The encounter was attended by survivors of this crime and representatives of institutions that fight against it. This included representatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Human Trafficking (NAPTIP), the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and the Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Child Labour (NACTAL) .

During the awareness-raising meeting, representatives of these institutions thanked the European Union (EU), which funds A-TIPSOM, for supporting the Nigerian government and congratulated FIIAPP for its work through the project. The A–TIPSOM coordinator, Rafael Ríos Molina, who was represented by the Senior Project Officer, Joseph O. Sanwo, highlighted the relevance of this day to continue combating trafficking in several ways: “The European Union Day Against Human Trafficking is a time both to request the approval of new policies and to increase the efforts of the population to curb human trafficking, especially by increasing the level of awareness in order to prevent this phenomenon”.

The efforts of the EU delegation in Nigeria include supporting the Nigerian government in reducing this crime by funding the Action Against Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants (A-TIPSOM) project. This project is managed by FIIAPP, which, according to the project coordinator, means that, since the beginning of the project in 2018, ‘FIIAPP has been working and supporting NAPTIP, NIS, the Nigerian Police (NPF) and NACTAL in their efforts to prevent human trafficking and migrant smuggling, prosecute the perpetrators, train specialist personnel and the strengthen institutions’.

Furthermore, Rafael Ríos mentioned some of the A-TIPSOM initiatives that combat trafficking by raising awareness on this matter. This is the case of the film exhibition that the project has scheduled for early 2021. During the call for the presentation of films and documentaries on human trafficking and migrant smuggling, FIIAPP received 461 films from interested producers from 71 countries around the world.

Finally, the coordinator also mentioned that through the A-TIPSOM Project, FIIAPP carries out a weekly radio programme called ATIPSOM–Voice that reaches more than 500,000 citizens every week: “Citizens from different areas of the country have been reached with messages on the prevention of human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants through the radio programme”, Rafael Ríos explained.