The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says that the use of
the UN Voluntary Trust Fund to protect victims of trafficking in Nigeria will begin to be monitored.
The Director-General of NAPTIP, Mrs Julie Okah-Donli, said this in
an interview with the Nigerian News Agency in Abuja on Friday.
She said that the funds for the protection of victims of trafficking in human beings were not
put to good use by those non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which were the country’s key beneficiaries of the fund.
Furthermore, Okah-Donli, recently named as a member of the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), noted that the
majority of NGOs engaged in human trafficking activities do not make sufficient use of the funds allocated to them.
Therefore, as a member of the UNODC Board, she pledged to use her
role to track the actions of such NGOs and probably change the narrative.
She clarified that “we have recently been told that Nigeria has long been a beneficiary of this
very significant trust fund, and the UN works directly with these NGOs involved in human trafficking activities.
“Now that I am in the board, I will use my position to monitor the use of the fund to ensure that it is used for the right purpose.”
It was regrettable that some of the NGOs were not even registered with the Network Against
Child Trafficking, Exploitation and Labour (NACTAL), the agency responsible for such NGOs, the director general said.
Okah-Donli pleaded with NGOs confused about the use
of the fund to come and ask about NAPTIP.
She added that the organization would soon inaugurate a Victims’ Trust
Fund Committee to support and encourage the relocation of stranded victims abroad.
NAPTIP would take the driver’s seat to supervise
the activities of the partner organizations, she said.
Recently, the UN Secretary-General confirmed
Okah-appointment Donli’s as a UNODC member.
She was chosen, along with four others from the Philippines, Armenia, Belgium and Panama, to oversee, with
complete regard for their human rights, the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for the Protection of Victims of Trafficking.
SOURCE: NNN
