The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) global human trafficking report, published last month, is a sobering read. The Report records a 25% increase in the number of trafficking victims detected globally in 2022 compared to 2019 pre-pandemic figures. If this wasn’t bad enough, the report also records a 31% increase in the number of detected child victims compared to 2019, with a 38% rise recorded for girls.
Globally, the problem is getting worse. What then, does this mean for Arise, and our mission to prevent human trafficking by building the strength, sustainability and direct impact of frontline groups?
We strongly believe that individuals and organisations rooted in communities are best placed to provide meaningful support to those at risk. The Arise model is built on the principle of accompaniment. Our experience to date shows us that effective trafficking prevention work is built on mutual trust, solidarity, care, transparency, and respect.
Arise has worked in Nigeria since 2021. Nigeria is a country affected by economic hardship, corruption, political instability, insecurity and violent conflict which has disrupted rural livelihoods and internally displaced over three million people. This, coupled with deeply entrenched attitudes towards women, makes women and girls highly vulnerable to sex trafficking, organ harvesting and domestic servitude.
In Nigeria there is a committed frontline movement against trafficking, in which Catholic Sisters play a pivotal role. Over the past 3 years, Arise has accompanied the Nigerian Conference of Women Religious Against Human Trafficking (NCWRAHT) network, enabling it to grow into a thriving, formally structured, efficient and well managed group of 40 congregations (up from 15 in 2021) that now covers all geo-political zones of Nigeria. All 40 congregations participate in decision-making, learning is shared and information is cascaded efficiently throughout the country. The Ministry of Education recently granted the NCWRAHT permission to run advocacy sessions in all the Basic and Secondary Schools in the 6 Education Districts in Lagos. An NCWRAHT representative has been formally invited to participate in an ongoing online discussion forum convened by the National Agency for the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), whilst regional NAPTIP officials regularly attend NCWRAHT events and call upon the Sisters for insight into trafficking in their regions.
We recently sought feedback from our frontline partners. According to one respondent, “Arise has done well in the empowerment of Sisters through capacity building by impacting knowledge and skills regarding human trafficking..... Many young women, survivors and vulnerable persons have been empowered with skills.“ Several respondents noted the sustainability of our programmes; “Arise emphasizes sustainable solutions rather than temporary fixes. Their programmes aim to reduce vulnerabilities long-term, focusing on economic empowerment and education, which helps communities stay resilient against trafficking.”
Amidst the sobering analysis contained in the UNODC report and cognisant of the Arise frontline-led model and its application in Nigeria, I was encouraged to read the conclusions and recommendations in a research paper cited in the report entitled, ‘Family involvement, juju rituals, physical and sexual violence and stigma and labelling: The convoluted experiences of young Nigerian victims trafficked to Italy’.
The research recommends “involvement of the victims’ communities of origin” and “the need for long-term support structures that factor in the types of violence experienced by victims of trafficking”. The outstanding work of the NCWRAHT, grounded in indigenous empowerment, cultural sensitivity and a long-term commitment embodies these recommendations.
Arise is privileged to work with the NCWRAHT and other frontline groups, in Nigeria and elsewhere, to prevent human trafficking. Reversing the trends outlined in the UNODC report is an immense challenge, but we believe our model works. Arise is determined to grow our model so that the frontline in the fight against human trafficking has the capacity and resources to do what it does best.
Martin Foley, CEO
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