Press Release

U. S. Government Praises Nigeria On Fight Against Trafficking In Persons

June 6, 2005

On Friday, June 3rd, 2005 U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice released the fifth annual Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report. The 150-country report is the most comprehensive worldwide report on the efforts of governments to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons or modern-day slavery. Its findings will raise global awareness and spur countries to take effective actions to counter trafficking in persons.

The 2005 report contains good news for Nigeria. Nigeria demonstrated significant progress in its anti-trafficking efforts, particularly in regard to law enforcement. Nigeria has therefore been upgraded from the Tier 2 Watch List, to the Tier 2 List.

We commend the federal government and all the state governments, organizations, and individuals who have worked to fight the scourge of trafficking. Continued improvement in all three areas of protection, prosecution, and prevention will be important in the coming year to move forward on combating trafficking and to help Nigeria improve its ranking even further.

Nigeria has shown clear progress over the past year in implementing the 2003 anti-trafficking in persons law. . The Nigerian Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) investigated more than 40 cases of suspected trafficking, leading to eight new prosecutions. In November, the High Court in Benin City handed down the first conviction under the 2003 anti-trafficking law. NAPTP also began investigating a number of law enforcement officials suspected of trafficking complicity. The police anti-trafficking unit rescued 35 victims of trafficking, opened 27 investigations, and arrested 40 suspected traffickers.

Other areas of clear progress cited by the report include increased government assistance to victims. For example, NAPTIP operates two victim shelters in Lagos and Benin. The Nigerian government has also published a brochure outlining the steps a victim can take to help in prosecutions, which is distributed to Nigerian victims returning from Europe. NAPTIP conducted "sensitization tours" around the country, reaching out to state governments, local law enforment, market organizations and youth groups to raise awareness of the dangers of trafficking. Many state governments also supported trafficking prevention efforts. Several nongovernmental organizations also continued to assist victims the past year, providing counseling, vocational training, and other services.

The U.S. Government is proud to have partnered with Nigeria in the fight against trafficking in persons. Our agency for international development (USAID) helped the Ministry of Education conduct awareness campaigns in 17 schools, reaching 20,000 students. We provided funds to refurbish the victims' shelter in Lagos. Over the next several years, we hope to continue our support for victim assistance and public awareness and to support NAPTIP and the police in improving their capacity to investigate and prosecute traffickers.

However, Nigeria remains a source, transit and destination country for trafficked women and children. Nigerians are trafficked to Europe, the Middle East and other countries in Africa for the purpose of sexual exploitation, forced labor, and domestic servitude. Within Nigeria, children are trafficked for exploitation as domestic servants and other forced labor.

The U.S. Government is committed to continuing working with Nigeria to combat the global problem of trafficking in persons. We again congratulate the federal government, NGOs, the police services, and state governments on the real progress registered last year. We urge the Government of Nigeria to build on these successes r and redouble its efforts to prosecute suspected traffickers, assist victims, and raise awareness of the dangers of trafficking.