Dear Wenchi, thanks again for your comments.
First, a responsible and responsive government should know that human trafficking is anti-development. Human trafficking not only disenfranchises and debases victims, but breeds a society of social depressives, semi-illiterates and many others who readily descend to crime, prostitution and become social misfits. Human trafficking plants a seed of social degeneration and national retrogression and truncates the full flowering of tomorrow's leadership.
Criminal rings and agents involved in human trafficking serve to pervert societal values, and with their enormous wealth which they sometimes launder, can threaten the security of individuals and of nations. They must be stopped. It is a known fact that human trafficking contributes to the spread of HIV and AIDS, impaired knowledge, loss of self esteem and emotional insecurity, apart from giving the country a bad image. These are few justifications why the scourge must be eliminated globally by all reasonable peoples and governments.
Nigeria is in the second tier of countries with demonstrated commitment to meeting the minimum standards on eliminating human trafficking, according to the U.S. This means that although the country is striving and complying, it is yet to achieve the minimum standards on trafficking. The first tier consists of countries which have fully complied, while the third category are those which neither complies nor demonstrates a significant effort to comply.
To convince government therefore, all the above examples, (and others) should be cited. A recalcitrant country (I doubt) could be reported to a relevant world body which should classify such country into the 1st, 2nd or 3rd category. The media MUST sufficiently be sensitised and carried along for the desired impact.
Democracy is all about good governance and ensuring that govenrment contributes to improving the quality of life of its people, otherwise that government should vacate.
Thanks.
Buki Ponle, News agency of Nigeria (NAN)
Assitant Editor-In-Chief & Head, Health, Population & Environment Desk.
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