By Lucky Isibor
The Uromi JDPCI led Localizing Trafficking in Persons Response Cluster (LOTIP-R), led by Uromi JDPCI, held a community sensitization and public awareness rally on trafficking in persons on Thursday, 9 February to commemorate the Feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, an annual event observed on February 8th as the International Day of Prayer and awareness against human trafficking as designated by Pope Francis.
The event brought together individuals from various background in solidarity to offer prayers for victims of human trafficking, escalate awareness about human trafficking and deliberate on strategies to combat the menace effectively, particularly through the establishment of dedicated response units at the local government levels in Edo State.
The Cluster sensitized participants and rallied support for the Cluster’s advocacy efforts. Central to these pursuits is the call for the institutionalization of local response units on human trafficking and the activation of the Victims of Trafficking Trust Fund (VTTF) and its Committee, aimed at ensuring effective and sustained empowerment of victims. The event was carried out under the auspices of the Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE) Nigeria Project sponsored by USAID which is being implemented by Palladium and its resource partners.
The event which involved various community stakeholders, including community leaders, youths, women, local government social protection actors, Civil Society Organizations, returnees, survivors of human trafficking, and members of the press also saw the various groups giving their support and join the fight against human trafficking through continuous awareness raising of community members and amplifying the need for the establishment of local response unit.
The event held simultaneously at Benin City, Uromi and Auchi. The LOTIP-R Cluster comprises seven Civil Society Organizations in Edo State and includes Uromi Justice Development Peace and Caritas Initiatives (Uromi JDPCI) as the anchor, Justice Development and Peace Commission Auchi, WilliJohnson Foundation, Girls Power Initiative, Josemaria Escriva Foundation, Ideal Resource and Development Centre, and the Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking.
In his remarks, the Executive Director of Uromi JDPCI, Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Fidelis Arhedo noted that the event is aimed at “Increasing awareness about the reality of human trafficking, emphasizing the importance of collective action in eradicating slavery through localization of Trafficking in Persons TIP response; reinforce the need for local response against human trafficking by fostering collaboration and engagement among community members, Local organizations and governments to more effective and unified approach to combating human trafficking”.
The Executive Director noted further that, “Commemorating this day in a rally is one of the public awareness strategies adopted by the Cluster “Localizing Trafficking in Persons Response Cluster (LOPTIP-R)”; to particularly pray for victims of human trafficking, raise awareness on the reality of human trafficking and encourage people to act and to take concrete steps to help eradicate slavery through the institution of local response structures in the various Local Government Areas of Edo State. Thus in prayers, we unite our efforts to free victims and stop the crime of human trafficking that threatens not just individuals, but the foundational values of society, international security and laws, the economy, families and communities”.