Funding, weak legislation and poor law enforcement are some of the issues hindering the fight against human trafficking in Nigeria.
A new report by the United States Department of State revealed that while the Nigerian government has made efforts in eliminating trafficking in persons, there were a number of standards yet to be complied with.
The report says “In 2012, a total number of 60 girls aged 16-25 were rescued from slave masters in Ghana and Ivory Coast. While in 2011, 104 Nigerian girls used as sex slaves were evacuated from Mali where they were paid as little as 500 CFAs, that’s N150 for sex”.
In the just released 2013 US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report, Nigeria remained in tier 2 status because the “government of Nigeria does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking”.
Channels Television correspondent, Doris Okenwa examines the trend of trafficking of young ladies as sex slaves.