Network of Civil Society organization against Child trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL) is a civil society network gathering some 70 CSOs working against child labour and trafficking spread all over the entire national territory by geographical areas. In May 2012, NACTAL signed a Memorandum of Understanding with NAPTIP to effectively stem child labour and trafficking in Nigeria. NACTAL members’ have a strong commitment to THB and SOM prevention and victim protection, and actively collaborate with NIS and NAPTIP on these areas but its impact is still limited due to irregular access to resources and limited institutional capacities.
NAPTIP
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) created in 2003 to prevent human trafficking, investigate and prosecute human traffickers and, protect and rehabilitate victims. It is been supervised by the Federal Ministry of Justice. It has the legal mandate to implement the 2015 Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration (TIPPEA) Act as well as overseeing the application of the Violence against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP Act).
In line with its strategic plan 2012-2017 – and its 5 «Ps» approach: prevention, prosecution, protection, partnership and policy – NAPTIP has undertaken a number of actions to enhance implementation of its mandate, including through support under the 10th EDF, particularly in terms of project management, prevention and protection. There has also been progress in terms of advancing towards a more coordinated national response to trafficking, with better collaboration with Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Department of State Services (DSS) and civil society organisations through NACTAL.
NIS
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). The 2015 Immigration Act updated and clarified the responsibilities of the NIS , which includes border management and patrol, issuance of travel documents, enforcement of relevant laws and regulations, and certain para-military duties within and outside Nigeria, and as such plays a leading role in the fight against TIPSOM.
NIS is faced with the enormous challenge of controlling regular and irregular inflow and outflow of persons to and from Nigeria, a vast country with porous land, coastal and air borders. It has created the Directorate of Migration to administer regular migration and tackle irregular migration, a Public Relations Unit to create public awareness on the dangers of smuggling of migrants, and an Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) and African affairs/bilateral division to accommodate regional and sub-regional political elements of migration. NIS is in need of capacity building and institutional strengthening to be more effective in implementing the various provisions of the Immigration Act, notably its migration, legal and anti-smuggling and anti-trafficking officers in terms of prevention, identification and investigation of offenders, as well as in strategic design, development and implementation.
NPF
Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is an agency under the Federal Ministry of Interior, and a key stakeholder in the fight against TIPSOM, collaborating with other law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in the detection and arrest of traffickers as well as the identification and referral of Victims of Trafficking (VOTs) to NAPTIP and NACTAL CSOs. The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit under the Criminal Investigation Department and the Force Gender Unit, set up in 2012 to address the high rate of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), is particularly relevant for the purposes of this project. The NPF will benefit from capacity building activities, particularly in terms of strengthening investigation on trafficking/smuggling crimes, and intelligence sharing and collaboration with NAPTIP, NIS and other LEAs.