The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has called on its members to reduce poverty in their individual countries as a strategy to tackle human trafficking.
ECOWAS gave the charge during the opening session of the 17th Annual Review Meeting of the ECOWAS Regional Network of National Focal Institutions against Trafficking in Persons Plus (RNNI-TIP+).
The event held on Monday in Lagos.
In his welcome address, the Chairman of the meeting, Mr Dehunge Shiaka, a representative of the Government of Republic of Sierra Leone, identified poverty as one of the factors aiding human trafficking.
Shiaka, who is also the Executive Director, Anti Trafficking in Persons Agency in Sierra Leone, urged West African countries to ensure sustainable efforts at reducing poverty among the populace.
He called on EECOWASmember-states to encourage cooperation to tackle human trafficking in the region.
“Promoting cooperation among member-countries is very key.
“There is the ECOWAS Mutual Assistance Protocol. If we are able to implement that fully, we can really ensure that member-countries are able to work together to detect trafficking in persons in their various countries.
“Member-states should educate their populations about measures they could take to protect themselves, especially those vulnerable groups and persons, from falling into the trap of traffickers.
“These are some of the measures we need to take, including really providing assistance, direct assistance, to protect victims of trafficking,” he said.
He added the ECOWAS member-states should enhance their capacities to tackle poverty at both the micro and macro levels.
Mr Olatunde Olayemi, the Representative of the Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs at ECOWAS, described poverty as a developmental issue.
Olayemi said that every ECOWAS member-state had its national development plan and was working on implementing such a plan toward curbing poverty and human trafficking.
“ECOWAS has had a declaration by heads of states since the year 2001 and has had several plans of action to which member-states have committed themselves to implementing.
“The current plan of action will continue till 2027,” he said.
According to him, ECOWAS has continued to support member-states to work in a coordinated manner toward solving issues of interest.
He said that part from the support was helping its members to translate the regional action plans into national action plans and implement them.
Olayemi said that the annual meeting was to measure the level of implementation of the regional plan at the national level.
Mr Josiah Emerole, the Director, Intelligence/ Research and Programme Development Department of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in Nigeria, said that there was the need for concrete actions to reduce poverty in West Africa.
Emerole said that acquiring simple skills such as baking and vulcanizing could help families and liberate them from poverty.
He called for a focus on practical measures to address hunger and poverty in West Africa.
The 12 ECOWAS member-states were represented on the first day of the five-day meeting.
They are Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote D’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Cabo Verde.
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