A multisectoral and evidence-driven approach has been identified as essential to addressing human trafficking among vulnerable populations, particularly Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria.
This was highlighted by Mrs. Chinonso Osuji, Country Coordinator of the ARISE Foundation, during the first-ever IDPs Trade Fair recently held in Makurdi, Benue State. The event, organised by Community Links and Human Empowerment Initiative (CLHEI) with support from ARISE Foundation, formed part of a pilot intervention aimed at empowering displaced persons in the state.
The initiative focused on equipping beneficiaries with vocational skills and financial management training, as well as providing starter kits to help them establish small businesses. The trade fair served as a platform to officially launch these businesses, marking a significant step toward economic self-reliance for the participants.
Mrs. Osuji explained that the intervention was research-driven, noting that a needs assessment had been conducted before its design. She described the trade fair not merely as a ceremonial gathering but as a transition point for beneficiaries—from vulnerability to stability and from poverty to economic independence.
On her part, Country Lead of Community Links and Human Empowerment Initiative, Dr Helen Teghtegh, disclosed that baseline findings from the pilot project revealed organised trafficking of children from IDP camps in Benue State. She stated that as many as 300 children were reportedly trafficked from a single camp.
Dr. Teghtegh attributed this alarming trend largely to the lack of sustainable livelihood opportunities for parents within the camps. She explained that this insight informed the project’s focus on skills acquisition and economic empowerment, as well as the organisation of the trade fair to build participants’ confidence in entrepreneurship.
She further called for the expansion of similar interventions across other IDP camps in Benue State, emphasising the need to protect displaced populations from trafficking risks driven by economic hardship.
