One of the factors that contribute to this problem is the parlous state of the economy, which has made some people abdicate their responsibilities and consequently expose their dependants to the vagaries of life. The implication is that young girls from poor homes are easily forced into the domestic labour market or lured into both local and cross-border prostitution under the guise of gainful employment. Boys in the same predicament, on the other hand, are deluded into escaping to other countries where they erroneously believe that the streets are lined with gold. By the time the scales drop from their eyes, they realise that they have been tricked or misled by shylock agents and profiteering intermediaries. In the process of the self-deception and greed, many of these victims lose their lives in mysterious circumstances. For some of these incidents, the rank unemployment in Nigeria could be a predisposing factor.
Our educational system and policies have also not helped matters.
Graduates come out waiting for jobs from the public sector. There is no training while in school for them to become entrepreneurs at the completion of their academic programmes. The country needs re-orientation so that graduates can begin to be employers of labour instead of entirely depending on government and overstretched uncles and aunts.
Government must take drastic measures to curb this hydra-headed monster of human trafficking an child abuse. The law against these crimes must be enforced to serve as a deterrent to unscrupulous elements in the society. On no grounds whatsoever should child savagery be tolerated in the country. Anyone caught for contravention of this law should be severely dealt with to discourage potential criminals. Human trafficking is no the third largest type of illegal trade in the world, after drugs and weapons. In 2005, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimated that over 12 million people around the world have been forced to work against their will under threat of punishment. Many people are forced to leave their homes because their own governments don't care for them. Their poverty is usually the result of lack of education, social marginalisation, and discrimination on account of gender and other factors. Trafficked persons are, however, not always among the poorest of the poor. Many of the women trafficked for sex, for example, are savvy and educated, ideal for crossing borders and relating to Western clients. Everywhere, human trafficking is growing. Tragically, because of greed and profitability, vulnerable human beings are held with the threat of violence and, in some cases, with the knowledge and collusion of potential victims who claim ignorance when they are apprehended. We regret to point out that all the child abuse and human trafficking i the country reek of economic slavery, brutality, physical and psychological manipulation, and cruelty. Rape, beatings, torture, starvation, physical exhaustion, isolation, control, and deception are all tools used to force and coerce vulnerable persons. All the three tiers of government must create social buffers and economic antidotes to the incidents of child abuse and human trafficking by creating an enabling environment for parents to meet the responsibility of caring for their children. This will discourage the disruption of family life that leaves younger ones prone to abuse. Even within families, parents need to be helped to have the right work/life balance to be able to care for their children.
Efforts should be made to create jobs to reduce the chances of people being lured into untoward situations and activities which could expose them to danger of abuse and exploitation. Nigerians must look inwards and rediscover themselves instead of embracing the aforementioned human abuses through forced and voluntary rural-urban drift or worthless transnational adventures.
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