The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), said it trained 500 teachers in the country to ensure that future educators were equipped to handle trafficking-related issues in schools.
Speaking on behalf the agency, the Director-General, Ms Binta Bello disclosed this at the opening of a Training of Trainers workshop for teachers in Colleges of Education in Benue, Delta and Enugu states on Wednesday in Enugu.
The workshop was organised by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development in partnership with NAPTIP.
He said that including human trafficking in the educational curriculum would help to educate the students more on the dangers of embarking on risky journeys.
Ms Bello, represented by the Director of Intelligence, Research and Programme Development, Josiah Emerole, also said that the agency was doing a lot to curb human trafficking in the country.
The ICMPD Head of Region for West Africa, Dr Mojisola Sodeinde, underlined the urgency of combating human trafficking, considered as one of the most pervasive violations of human dignity worldwide.
Sodeinde, also represented by the Project Manager, School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, Rhoda Dia-Johnson, described human trafficking as a crisis that preys on the vulnerable through forced labour, sexual exploitation and various forms of abuse.
According to Sodeinde, victims of human trafficking in Nigeria are often lured by false promises of a better life, only to find themselves trapped in dire situations.
He said that the event builds on ICMPD’s ongoing efforts to integrate trafficking education into Nigeria’s teacher training system.
