The zonal commander, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Gloria Bai, has appealed to government at all levels to rehabilitate and reintegrate back into the society those who were traffic and recovered by the agency to give them a sense of belonging again.
This is even as the representative of APIN Public Health Initiatives, Dr. Sunday Inya in a welcome address called on all stakeholders in the country to support and empower women especially young girls who are vulnerable to trafficking to brace up to the challenges and take leadership positions in all sectors of the country.
Bai, who made her views known during the commemoration of the 2024 International Women’s Day Celebration organized by APIN Public Health Initiatives in collaboration with the Benue State Ministry of Women Affairs said a large percentage of traffickers are girls and young women who are trafficked with the sole aim of sexual exploitation.
While lamenting on a situation where most people look at women as commodities for sex, the zonal commander emphasized that victims of trafficking need to be empowered, rehabilitated and reintegrated back into the society.
He said, “If women are allowed to take leadership positions as men do, Nigeria will witness tremendous development in all sectors because women are more Prudence in the management of resources wherever they are found”.
Dr Inya, who is APIN’s State Team Approach (STA), lead explained that “APIN which is a leading International partner is championing the treatment of HIV/AIDs in Nigeria, we are currently working in five states in Nigeria. We are also in the forefront of providing health care and services in maternal & child health, reproductive health, tuberculosis, Malaria among others to ensure that the health of the Benue citizens especially women and children is secured
He maintained that, “in view of this, APIN has also chosen this day to honour some of the women in the state, who have distinguished themselves in their varying fields of endeavour as a token of our appreciation and support to spur them and others to do more for the betterment of the state and society at large.”
Also, the APIN’s Gender Desk representative Lucia Torjir, called on parents and caregivers to encourage the girl child to pursue their careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), so as to bridge the wide gap between the female folks and their male counterpart in these fields
