The House of Representatives Thursday called on the Federal Ministries of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, and Foreign Affairs, as well as NAPTIP, to develop a comprehensive repatriation and reintegration framework for Nigerian victims of human trafficking.
The House also urged the Federal Ministry of Works to allocate special intervention funding for the repatriation, rehabilitation and empowerment of trafficked Nigerian girls in 2027 budget.
It further mandated its Committee on Humanitarian Services to collaborate with other relevant committees to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the current status of Nigerian girls trafficked to Mali and other West African countries.
This followed a motion by Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, who noted that there have been worrisome rise in the trafficking of Nigerian girls and young women to Mali and other West African countries, especially for sexual exploitation and forced labour.
“She said while the trafficking of adults has persisted for over a decade despite the efforts of NAPTIP, “traffickers, having become aware of the risks, have now diverted their attention to children as young as 10- year- old.”
She submitted that effective repatriation and reintegration require a multi-agency approach involving medical and psychosocial support, vocational empowerment and sustainable reintegration programmes.
