CS-CRIN Partners Media To Combat Human Trafficking In Nigeria
By Abdullahi Yusuf
The Civil Society Organization for Conflict Resolution in Nigeria(CR-CRIN) is entering into partnership with the media to combat human trafficking in Kano State and Nigeria.
CS-CRIN is funded by Global Initiative through Resilience Fund.
The Executive Director of CS-CRIN, Barrister Aremu Adedeji, disclosed this
during a Media Engagement/Briefing to mark the unveiling of the group’s project tagged:“Strengthening Community Resilience and Institutional Capacity to Address Human Trafficking in Kano State, Nigeria.”
Adedeji described the role of media in the fight against human trafficking as enormous, hence the CS-CRIN’s decision to partner with journalists to achieve the noble objective.
“We know you have that power of responsible reporting about victims and survivors of human trafficking.You can also counter misinformation and raise public awareness against the menace,” he said.
He identified two local government areas in Kano State – Kumbotso and Ungogo,which he said are prone to human trafficking and migration,and urged the media to unravel the menace in the mentioned areas.
“Help us unravel the causes; what is making people to traffic human beings and people going on irregular migration in that axis,” he said.
The Executive Director disclosed that
CS-CRIN is also working in partnership with the International Organization for Migration(IOM) as part of its efforts to check the menace.
He said available data had revealed that out of the 9,000 returnees “that we have collectively in Nigeria in the last three years,close to 5,000 are from Kano State.”
He said the concentration of these returnees is in Kumbotso and Ungogo local government areas,and some other parts of the state, describing the situation as alarming.
As part of the project, Barrister Adeniyi further disclosed that CS-CRIN would be engaging some groups called Paralegals whom are part of their respective communities and working in them.
He described the Paralegals as the First Hand Responders,and that about 40 of them would be trained for the exercise.
The CS-CRIN boss also announced that about 150 Civil Society Organizations(CSOs), including the media, would be trained for the implementation of the project.
Again, Barrister Adeniyi announced that an organization called Journalists Against Transnational Organized Crime(JATOC) would be formed nationwide, beginning with Kano State.
He, therefore, announced the establishment of a five-member committee to drive the process of the formation of the Kano JATOC.