I Am Priceless

EU launches campaign against human trafficking
TUESDAY, 09 OCTOBER 2012 00:00 FROM ITUNU AJAYI, ABUJA NEWS - NATIONAL

AS part of its efforts to create awareness among those vulnerable to trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, the European Union (EU) in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is set to launch the ‘I am priceless’ campaign in Abuja today.

The EU has also set aside 4.8 million euros to fight the cause of victims of illegal human trafficking and smuggling of migrants.

At a media workshop organized   by the European Union in Lafia, Nasarawa State at the weekend, the duo of Godwin Morka, Assistant Director, Research and Programme Department   and Arinze Orakwue, Head of Press and Public Relations Unit, both of the national agency for the National   Agency for the Prohibition  of Traffic in Persons and other related matters (NAPTIP) painted a sordid picture of what victims of human trafficking are exposed to, most of the time out of ignorance based on empty promises of a better life  abroad.

According to them, “trafficking in persons involves more than forced sexual act which readily comes to mind as it involves other heinous crimes like harvest of organs, forced labour and in most cases death.”

They added that most trafficking cases were unreported because exploiters were mostly close family members of victims and they were made to swear to an oath of secrecy with threat of death or insanity should they divulge any information to anyone.