46% of victims of human trafficking are children

[Richard Akindele]

An assessment of human trafficking in Nigeria has shown that 46 per cent of victims of human trafficking are children.


The assessment carried out by UNICEF and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) also showed a ratio of 7:3 in female and male victims.

A publication of the agency made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) today in Abuja indicates that such victims of trafficking were engaged mainly in prostitution.

The statistics further revealed that 21 per cent were engaged in domestic labour, 15 per cent in forced labour, with entertainment taking about eight per cent.

According to the publication, 32 per cent of the children trafficked internally in Nigeria are sent into forced labour, 31 per cent go into domestic labour and 30 per cent go into prostitution.

"The agency in its bid to tackle this new millennium slavery has raided two voodoo shrines in Edo, with two of the juju priest arrested,'' the publication noted.

The report gave items recovered from the juju priest to include female pubic hairs, finger nails, a notepad containing names of arrested traffickers and victims.

Other items recovered include photographs of some foreign nationals in their nudes and other fetish materials.