CHALLENGES NAPTIP MUST OVERCOME

As the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Person and other related matters (NAPTIP) marks the 7th anniversary of the signing of its founding charter this month.

Its norm of responsibilities to its nation and world at large has captured the convergence of international attention, evident in its elevation from a Tier two list to a Tier one status by the United State government in its 2010 Annual Global Trafficking Report for having met the minimum standards for the elimination of severe forms of trafficking.

This would be second time of such achievement by the agency consecutively in two years and this is enough to shows that officers of the agency under the administration of its current Executive Secretary, Barrister. Simon Egbede posses the qualities of required for the work and they deserve to be encouraged.

Created on 26th August 2003 under a Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law enforcement and Administration Act 2003 the agency is responsible for rescue, protection, rehabilitation, and reintegration of those who fall victim of trafficking in persons back into the society while ensuring efficient prosecution of criminals involved as a central plank of United Nations Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) concern.

However, the challenge that NAPTIP has not been able to meet successfully is global in scope. Luis CdeBaca, Ambassador-at large for the State Department's office to monitoring and combat trafficking in persons, United States once said 'If your victim is scared, if your victim is still suffering trauma, if they haven't had psychological counseling, if they don't trust you, then you are not going to have a good witness, and you're are probably not going to put the trafficker in jail.'

From every media indication, gathering information that leads to prosecution of traffickers and people violating the Child Rights Act is still a tough challenge for NAPTIP and its counterpart agencies in many part of the world. The key is to improve on technical intelligence resources for investigation. more importantly there should be polygraph testing, and push for its result being admitted by the judiciary as evidence in court during trial.

•Ayodele Paul O, Box 319, Omega Chamber, Ikire, Osun State,