From Anti-Human Trafficking Awareness to Anti-Human Traffikcing Academy

7/23/2019 From Anti-Human Trafficking Awareness to Anti-Human Traffikcing Academy

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From Anti-Human trafcking Awareness to Anti-Human

Trafcking Academy

A story of how Joseph Osuigwe Chidiebere started The Academy for Prevention of

Human Tracking and Other Reated !atters "a subsidiary of #evatop Center $or Africa

#eveopment% by #i&erence !akers'

Tell us about yoursel and childhood experience?

My name is Joseph Osuigwe Chidiebere, the Executive Director of Devatop Centre for

Africa Development, and the coordinator of he Academy for !revention of "uman

ra#c$ing and Other %elated Matters &A!"OM'( ) was born on *+th June, -./ to the

family of Mr( and Mrs( 0ugard Osuigwe Madu$a, from Ehime Mbano, )mo 1tate, 2igeria(

) am the 3rst born of two boys( My childhood has its good and bad side( 4ell, it is

important to say that ) spent only two years with my mummy, and at most . years with

my father( he rest of my childhood was with / di5erent families from distinct locations(

) would say my childhood experience was very tough( At the age of . plus, ) started

farming, digging stones, gathering gravels, and other hard wor$s that were beyond my

age( here were times ) was loc$ed out to sleep outside for not doing or completing

farm wor$, and other domestic wor$s( his a5ected my education( )n few occasions

when ) changed a location, ) will be forced to step down in class( 6ut, the good side of it

is that it was a learning process( he experience taught me hard wor$, perseverance,

temperance, and endurance(



So how did you become a graduate?

) am a graduate of Education Mathematics from 7niversity of 2igeria( )t was hard for me

to register for JAM68entrance exam to university because of unavailable and delayed

support( "owever, after four years, ) eventually gained admission to university in *99:(

4hile in *99 level &second year' ) started students; empowerment, lecturing 99level

students on mathematics, writing and distributing inspirational newsletters to students,

and organi<ing yearly academic seminars for newly admitted students( ) started my

activism while in school, advocating for students; right, combating examination

misconduct and extortion of money from students, and also attracted enmity from

corrupt lecturers( ) was my departmental course leader for = years, but ) resisted the

temptation of been used by lecturers to extort money from students( he summary of it

is that there was a targeted attempt by some of these lecturers to $eep me in school for

extra * years( On several occasions my results were withheld, scores denied, scripts

missing, and all that( his a5ected my result negatively( 6ut with persistence and hard

wor$, ) graduated at due time(

How did you start anti-human trafcking adocacy?

Ehmmm>that was during my 2ational ?outh 1ervice 1cheme &2?1C' in *9@, then ) was

a member of Millennium Development oals Community Development roup( "owever,

the passion to combat human tra#c$ing and other related matters became obvious

during my 2?1C primary assignment at 4omen %ehabilitation Center which was

operated by 1ociety against !rostitution and Child 0abour in 2igeria( he centre is a

place where victims of sexual exploitation and repented commercial sex wor$ers are

rehabilitated( ) was one of their teachers and mentors( ) organi<ed empowerment

programmes for the survivors8victims, mentored few of them to enroll for higher

education, provided academic materials for some, and organi<ed competitions for all( )

also had oneBonBone chat with some of the victims of sexual exploitation it was on that

process that my passion was ignited, and also reali<ing that 2igeria is among the

countries with highest numbers of victims of human tra#c$ing, my anger against

modern slavery and genderBbased violence was $indled( ) told myself, ) will dedicate

my time, creativity, energy and resources to combat this evil( 1o ) launched into action(

First, ) consulted so many people, did a bac$ground study of the problem, gathered few

statistics, and explored partnerships( ) can remember vividly that some people told me,

this is not a lucrative venture or proGect that could attract sponsorships( "owever, )

was willing to use my allowance and savings for this proGect( ) made it my 2ational ?outh

1ervice Community !roGect wrote letters to schools in vulnerable communities and got

approval( 1o, ) started the antiBhuman tra#c$ing awareness in 3ve communities( )

partnered with 2ational Agency for !rohibition of ra#c$ing in !ersons &2A!)!' to

educate more than *999 teenagers, youth, and teachers on how to combat human

tra#c$ing( My friends and colleagues volunteered for the awareness( During the



awareness, there were about three female victims of sexual exploitation we counseled(

0ater in 2ovember *9@, in commemoration of )nternational Day for the Elimination of

Hiolence Against 4omen, ) and my team organi<ed interBschool Iui< competition on sex

tra#c$ing with material support from 7nited 2ations O#ce for Drugs and Crimes

&72ODC'( AntiBhuman tra#c$ing awareness materials from 72ODC were donated to the

participants(



) usually spend +9 of my allowance on the proGect sometimes ) s$ipped my meals and

preferred tre$$ing instead of boarding taxi so as to save money for printing and

submission of letters( A lot of people, organi<ations and companies found it strange to

support the antiBhuman tra#c$ing proGect, and considering the fact that ) was Gust

starting it( 6ut, the result and testimonies ) received after the 3rst edition of the

awareness increased my motivation to continue with the proGect( )t was during thatsame year that Devatop Centre for Africa Development started with focus on preventing

human tra#c$ing, and educational empowerment( 4e continued with the antiBhuman

tra#c$ing awareness in primary schools and did a *9 minutes H programme with

2igerian elevision Authority(



)n *9=, we organi<ed the second edition of the awareness for -99 students on how to

prevent human tra#c$ing, rape and genderBbased violence(

On *th June, *9/, to commemorate the 4orld Day Against Child 0abour, we organi<ed

an awareness for +9 mar$et women and men at Dutse, AbuGa(

How did you start the Anti-Human Trafcking Academy and what are your

ob!ecties?

More than *: million people are victims of human tra#c$ing globally( his 3gure

exceeds the population of most countries( /9 million uneducated, illiterate, unemployed,

less privileged, and displaced 2igerians are vulnerable to human tra#c$ing( 4e reali<ed

that there are much wor$s to do to end human tra#c$ing and Gust few people are doing

them( 4e also felt that awareness is not enough to combat human tra#c$ing( 4e saw

the need to train advocates and trainers who will ta$e strategic actions against humantra#c$ing and other related matters( his need propelled us to establish he Academy

For !revention of "uman ra#c$ing and Other %elated Matter &A!"OM' in July, *9/(

he academy is aimed at training antiBhuman tra#c$ing advocates and trainers who will

organi<e awareness, campaign, seminars, trainings, shows, and monitor and report

human tra#c$ing incident( he academy focuses on training, advocacy, research,

counseling, referral and publications(



On 9th and th July, we trained *: youth and educators as advocates and trainers(

1ome of the advocates are ta$ing strategic actions, organi<ing antiBhuman tra#c$ing

seminars in their various locations(



On st August *9/, we organi<ed a campaignK Freedom 4al$ and 1how against human

tra#c$ing and rape in commemoration of 4orld Day Against ra#c$ing in !ersons(

0ast wee$, on */th and *+th 2ovember, *9/, the Academy for !revention of "uman

ra#c$ing and Other %elated Matters trained +/ law enforcement, legal practitioners,

medical professionals, youth, educators, religious members, Gournalists, community

volunteers, media professionals and survivors on antiBhuman tra#c$ing advocacy

course(

So ar" what has been the outcome o the anti-human trafcking training?

4ell, it is Gust less than / months we started the antiBhuman tra#c$ing academy( @

youth among those who participated in July training have organi<ed seminars in AbuGa

were they sensiti<ed students on how to combat human tra#c$ing( Few others have

reported incidents of child abuse to us, and we have seen the social media campaigns

of other participants(

he participants of 2ovember training were empowered to organi<e step down training,

awareness and media campaigns( 4e expect that at least =9 percent of them willorgani<e actions within the next one year( 6ut we are certain that the training improved

the $nowledge of law enforcement and legal practitioners, and they will become more

proactive in handling cases on human tra#c$ing, rape and other forms of abuses( he

educators are expected to educate their pupils8students, identify and report situations

where students are experiencing potential abuse including human tra#c$ing(

#onsidering the act that ending modern slaery should be a collaboratie

e$ort" who else are you collaborating with to combat human trafcking?



) believe in the power of collaboration( ) li$e to call it Collabo( Apart from passion and

hard wor$, our achievement is also a reLection of collaboration and partnership with

some reputable and committed organi<ations and individuals( 4e have engaged more

than / organi<ations and 3rms in the 3ght against human tra#c$ing( 1ome of our

partners are 2ational Agency for !rohibition of ra#c$ing in !ersons, African Centre for

Media and )nformation 0iteracy, 2ational "uman %ights Commission, Mova )ndustrialDesign, Fight Against Child ra#c$ing, Dorothy 2Geman<e Foundation, 1tudio *=, Media

)nsight( 4e hope to collaborate with more national and international organi<ations(

%here will the anti-human trafcking academy be within the next &' years?

he academy has the potential to be a globally recogni<ed academy that trains

advocates and trainers to combat human tra#c$ing in di5erent African and Asian

countries( "owever, within the next 9 years, we must have replicated the academy in

@ regions of 2igeria, and in @ Africa countries( 1ome of our goals includeK to train *99

antiBhuman tra#c$ing advocates yearly who will reach out to over /9, 999 people to

sensiti<e at least ., 999 people yearly through our awareness to establish a

hotline8helpline against tra#c$ing in persons to build our headIuarter with /9

capacity lecture hall, research8)C centre, library, etc employ more people give small

grants yearly to some of our trainees to carry out antiBhuman tra#c$ing proGects

organi<e s$ill acIuisitions for survivors and vulnerable women and youth and so many

others which ) may not mention because of time and space( Most of these will ta$e

place within * to / years(

Meanwhile, by *9+, we will release our @ antiBhuman tra#c$ing boo$lets, and some

awareness materials &documentaries, storyboo$s, and songs'( ) must say that we will bepersistent, consistent, insistent and creative in combating human tra#c$ing and other

related matters(

From Anti-Human Trafficking Awareness to Anti-Human Traffikcing Academy

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