The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has taken a definite step toward mainstreaming gender policy into its operations aimed at eliminating Gender Based and Sexual Violence (GBV).
The Director-General of the agency, Mrs Julie Okah-Donli, at a stakeholders’ validation of the document on Monday in Abuja said that the policy was intended to institutionalise the internal gender strategy and operation of NAPTIP.
According to Okah-Donli, the policy is also to assist the agency in delivery its mandate in partnership with stakeholders to address gender gap within NAPTIP internal environment and contribute to the realisation of national gender equality goals in partnership with external actors.
She said that the Federal Government had approved the National Gender Policy in 2008 to ensure that Nigerian society was devoid of gender discrimination and to guarantee equal access to political, social and economic wealth creation opportunities.
She said that the Federal Government gender policy was also aimed at developing culture that places premium on the protection of the child and focuses attention on both the public and private sector on issue that promote women and children participation for national development.
Okah-Donli said that the Federal Government policy on gender development was also targeted toward empowering women and children involving them in decision making process and elimination of violence against it.
NAPTIP in its desire to eliminate all forms of gender discrimination in its activities have in collaboration with UN women, developed a Gender Policy to guide and mainstream gender in all its operations to ensure fairness and equity in the discharge of its mandate.
The agency through the development of the policy has shown commitment in ensuring the institutionalisation of gender in its dealings with personnel, victims, offenders, partners and stakeholders in consistent with one of the agency’s core value, which is gender equality.
“Also, noteworthy is the fact that 95 per cent of the victims of human trafficking rescued by NAPTIP are female, this established a basis for the agency to pay specific attention to issues relating to gender,” she said.
Okah-Donli said that NAPTIP strategic plan of 2020 to 2025 would strengthen gender by mainstreaming it into the agency operations, programming, legislations, policies, procedures and institutional resources.
She said that the strategic plan would also accommodate victim rescue, rehabilitation, protection, prosecution of offenders, strengthen of victims’ trust fund to address their need both male and female.
According to her, the strategic plan will also mobilise and sustained partnership for effective combat of trafficking in persons and violence against persons.
The UN Women Deputy Country Representative, Mr Mr Lansana Wonneh said that his organisation had been part of the development process of the policy document.
Wonneh said that the policy document would contribute to the eradication of trafficking in persons in Nigeria, adding that there was need for stakeholders to step up technical assistance and strengthen cooperation to support NAPTIP to address this menace from gender perspective.
According to him, the UN Women is committed to supporting NAPTIP in the development of relevant guidelines for proper implementation of the policy, monitoring and evaluation by using the policy to address trafficking cases.
“Through our programmatic mandate, UN Women will support NAPTIP and relevant stakeholders with the training on consistent use of gender mechanisms in preventing and combating trafficking in persons and gender-based violence in Nigeria.
“This is to ensure sustainable prevention of crimes and the promotion of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Right (SRHR) for women and girls in all spheres of life.
The International Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP), a Spanish public foundation, a stakeholder partnering with NAPTIP on eradication of trafficking and gender based violence also participated at the event. (NAN)
