The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) has raised the alarm over the increasing rate at which children are trafficked, disclosing that that over 75% of victims of human trafficking in West Africa are children.
The agency therefore underscored the urgent need for preventive efforts, particularly “within our schools.”
ICMPD Head of Office, Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, expressed her deep concern on Tuesday in Benin at a two-day training for subject teachers on Mainstreamed TIP Content in the revised National Curriculum code-named School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP).
At the event held in collaboration with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and Edo State Government, ICMPD Head of Office, Nigeria, said the rising statistic underscored the urgent need to “leverage education as a powerful tool to prevent trafficking.”
In her speech which was read by Favour Simeon, ICMPD, Wolfsgruber was optimistic that at the end of the training, the teachers would have been equipped, and by extension, the “larger school community with knowledge about the risks of trafficking, how to recognize warning signs, and strategies to stay safe.”
Disclosing that 150 teachers drawn from 50 schools across the state were captured for the training, Wolfsgruber, explained: “That is why we have organised this two -day training workshop for subject teachers from selected schools in Edo State. Through this training, teachers will gain practical skills to apply the curriculum effectively while fostering safe and supportive classrooms that protect children from harm.
“The training aims to equip teachers with a thorough understanding of human trafficking, practical skills to deliver the national approved curriculum effectively, and the capacity to act as child protection advocates, fostering safe, supportive, and collaborative school environments.”
On her part, Director-General NAPTIP, Binta Bello, who said trafficking in Persons remained “one of the gravest human rights violations confronting Nigeria today,” emphasised the need for collective effort to “safeguard the future of our children and strengthen the national response to human trafficking through education.”
The DG, who was represented by Hassan Tahri, lamented: “The statistics are deeply troubling; children account for more than 55 percent of identified victims.”
In his speech, Edo State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Paddy Iyamu, while regretting that “Edo State has, in the past, been significantly affected by the devastating consequences of human trafficking,” however, noted that “tremendous progress has been made in recent years, we must continue to consolidate our gains by strengthening education-driven prevention mechanisms.”
Stressing that “education remains the most powerful tool for shaping values, informing decision-making, and protecting the next generation from exploitation,” the commissioner promised that his ministry would continue to “reinforce our state’s preventive strategies and expand the impact of our anti-trafficking interventions in schools.
“This training is not just another workshop—it is a strategic investment in the human infrastructure that supports our fight against Trafficking in Persons (TIP),” he said.