Deborah Ocheni 
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in collaboration with the Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) has called on journalists to protect the identity of victims of human trafficking in their reportage.
This was made known during the training aimed at equipping journalists with the right skills in reporting on human trafficking held in Abuja.
Nasiru Muazu Isah, a resource person at the meeting said journalists have the responsibility of protecting their source and victims “You are not only putting the victims at the risk of the traffickers in their communities but you have created a situation where they can be stigmatized because people see her and they know her story.
“People don’t see them as victims so please as much as possible it is your responsibility to decide whether you want to expose your source or not then you brief your senior manager on the background because if something happens to that victim, you can be held responsible.
‘‘Journalists who choose to report on human trafficking and irregular migration must be acutely aware of the ethical and safety challenges involved. They often deal with vulnerable sources who may fear retribution from traffickers or authorities, also maintaining the safety and anonymity of sources should always be a priority”.
Adekoye Vincent, press officer, NAPTIP said Human trafficking is an organized crime syndicate that journalists can do stories on.
“investigate where the proceeds from human trafficking go to because the money is much and that is why they can kill the victims that relegate on the promise”.
“I encourage all of us to take this as a fight to humanity as your story can help somebody who is about to be boarded at an airport change their minds after reading about the dangers of Human Trafficking. Your report can change lots of situations; it can change the policy of the government. Let us support NAPTIP and the federal government of Nigeria because when we fight against human trafficking, we secure our nation”.
The Executive Director of Justice Development and Peace Commission, JDPC, Rev. Fr. Solomon Uko charged journalists to make use of the knowledge they gathered at the training to report effectively about human trafficking issues.
“Our expectation is that the knowledge we got from here will be escalated to the entire world on the dehumanizing effect of human trafficking, and the fact that human beings must be who they are, and must not be traded like commodities.
“People should say something when they see something that is unwholesome or degrading in any form to the point of being trafficked.
“Journalists should escalate the knowledge obtained from here, and help others know the effect of human trafficking in our society,” he said.
On her part, the representative from NAPTIP, Mrs Nnoli Cynthia outlined some forms of Trafficking in Persons namely; Forced labour, for criminal activities, exploitation of women sexually, harvest of human organs, and people smuggling among others.
The training covered various aspects, such as the Overview of TIP, victim’s identification and issues around stigma and discrimination suffered by survivors, legal framework: Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement & Administration, TIPPEA, Acts 2015 as reenacted, counter-trafficking initiatives and more.
