PRAWA and The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) is to train 300 victims of human trafficking in various skills.

The NAPTIP Kano Zonal Commander, Alhaji Shehu Umar, disclosed this during a courtesy call on the Speaker, Kano State House of Assembly, Alhaji Kabiru Rurum, on Friday in Kano.

Umar said the training would be conducted in collaboration with an NGO, the Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), with the support of Royal Netherlands Embassy in Nigeria.

He said all the 300 selected rescued victims would also receive life planning and entrepreneurship development training from five endemic states.
He said the programme was part of the effort to ensure that victims of human trafficking were reintegrated into the society. The coordinator said that this would enable them contribute their quota towards the development of the country.

Umar said NAPTIP agency was ready to support the establishment of Anti-human Trafficking Clubs in schools through the NYSC scheme.
He called on the state Assembly to support the initiative to enhance the living conditions of rescued victims.

Also speaking, the Deputy Director, PRAWA, Mr Yinka Lawal, said prospective beneficiaries of the empowerment programme would be selected from the five targeted states of Anambra, Edo, Kaduna, Kano and Ogun.

He said PRAWA would continue to partner with NAPTIP and other relevant agencies in targeted states to create more awareness on the issues of human trafficking among educated youths.

He said the programme, tagged “Prevention of Human Trafficking in Top Endemic States in Nigeria”, was initiated in October 2014.
In his remarks, the Speaker said the state would ensure that adequate budgetary provisions were made to support victims of human trafficking from the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the team had paid similar advocacy visit to the Ministry of Women Affairs as well as the Directorate of Youth Development and Economic Empowerment.