by Yusuf Mohammed Lawan, Gombe
18th January, 2025
In a groundbreaking efforts to tame the ever-increasing tide of human trafficking menace among the Deaf individuals, that has created unbearable hardships among the innocent victims and their families within the Deaf community, especially Deaf women and girls in Nigeria who unarguably suffers the most harshest form of human trafficking atrocities in the country.
The leadership of the Nigerian National Association of the Deaf (NNAD) national headquarters, Abuja has Saturday paid a working courtesy visit to the National Agency PTIP (NAPTIP) to seek increased collaboration with the NAPTIP in order to effectively address the lingering issues of human trafficking, kidnapping, Gender Based Violence (GBV) and other criminal activities against the innocent Deaf Women and girls in Nigeria.
Speaking during the courtesy visit the National Women Leader of NNAD Haj. Monsurat Fasasi described NNAD as muliti-ethnic, mulit-faceted and mulit-cultutal organization whose members are prone to committing criminal activities including trafficking in persons, kidnapping and the likes.
She said, "we are a multi-ethnic, cross-cultural, multi-religious, and dynamic in scope and structure. Because of this, we have our peculiar problems in our community including trafficking in Deaf women and girls, children as well as domestic and gender based violence"
"Suffice it to say that we also have many criminally minded Deaf individuals sponsoring and trafficking Deaf women and girls within and outside Nigeria for monetary gains and vice versa"
Fasasi who described members of the Deaf community as a "microcosm of the larger Nigerian society" due to their relative population admitted that trafficking in women especially Deaf women is a serious cause for concern, she lamented that the practice is driving the world back to slavery era.
Her words, "trafficking in women and girls is a serious human rights violation and a form of modern-day slavery. It involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit women and girls for labor or commercial sex. Both the Deaf and hearing individuals are equally guilty of these crimes"
"Many of our women and girls are being enticed and trafficked outside Nigeria in an alarming trends. No thanks to economic situation that made life a bit difficult for an average Nigerian at the moment" she added
Emphasizing the objective of the NNAD's visit to NAPTIP' s office, Monsurat said "our advocacy and courtesy visit is to enable us to discuss about prevention of trafficking in Deaf women and girls which to us is a critical human rights issue that requires a multifaceted approach"
She added" We are canvassing for partnership and collaboration with your agency towards reduction of this menace"
The NNAD's National Women Leader further highlighted some of the strategies which the NNAD hope to adopt through collaborative partnership with the anti-tarafficking agency to prevent further trafficking of Deaf women and girls in the country, she listed the following as the bi-working strategies to adopt between the two groups:
1. Education and awareness campaigns to inform potential victims and the general public. This will be done through the NAPTIP's personnels' collaboration with NNAD in various ways such as organizing workshops, seminars, Schools and organization visits etc.
2. Economic empowerment programs to reduce vulnerability. This can be embarked upon with active collaboration and partnership including with Government at the three tier levels to improve financial condition and well-being of our deaf members
3. Strengthening laws and law enforcement. This means that the NAPTIP has to double it's efforts to see that impunity is rein in and offenders are seriously prosecuted while the victims of trafficking etc are rehabilitated
4. Providing support services for survivors. We shall be distributing pamphlets and NAPTIP's contact numbers to our people to report cases as well as get support.
5. Contributing some Deaf personnels to the NAPTIP's taskforce mandated to raid and expose human traffickers
In her swipt response to the demands placed before the agency by the visitors, the Director General, Binta Adamu Bello, welcomed the NNAD representatives and described their visit as pivotal, stressing that disability Communities are a critical part of the agency’s stakeholders, emphasizing her commitment to key into the partnership project to convert human trafficking menace among the Deaf.
“I am delighted to have you here today. I will ensure that you are included in all our activities. I have just minuted your requests as contained in the speech you just delivered, to the relevant department for immediate action" she said.
The advocacy visit, Ability News Network reports signalled the commencement of a new relationship with the Deaf Community and the NAPTIP management
The NNAD's contingents who represented the Deaf community during the advocacy visit were led by the National Vice President of the Nigeria National Association of the Deaf, Mr. Nelson Chukwuemeka Umezurike, accompanied by the National Women Leader, Fassasi Monsurat, Chairman, Abuja Association of the Deaf, Mr. Ayoade Beyioku – Ajose, and the National Youth Leader, Ashiru Abubakar.
God bless you NNAD National Executive team. More grace and fruitful year
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