Zinder, Niger 24 May 2021 – UNODC, under the framework of the Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT) funded by the Government of Italy and as part of its support to the government of Niger, organized from 18 to 19 May 2021 awareness and sensitization activities for local authorities, youth and women’s associations, border control officials, members of the media and commercial transportation companies on trafficking in persons (TIP) and smuggling of migrants (SOM) in Zinder, a city close to the border with Nigeria.
Human trafficking and migrant smuggling are complex realities in Niger. As a country of origin, transit and destination, the government know that is has to address the address the expansion of criminal networks, both domestically and internationally. Many migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa, notably from Nigeria and Cameroon, enter Niger through the Niger-Nigeria border, then move north through the region of Agadez to reach Algeria or Libya. During the often-perilous journey, migrants are vulnerable to being exploited by criminal networks and government authorities have made the fight against these crimes a priority. However, many stakeholders tasked with addressing TIP and SOM, especially those who operate at the borders, have not yet received enough awareness raising and training to better understand how to combat both crimes.
It is in this context, that the National Agency for the Fight against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (ANLTP/TIM) and UNODC, under the GLO.ACT project, jointly organized awareness and sensitization activities for local authorities, youth and women’s associations, border control officials, and media and commercial transportation companies.
The objectives of the activity were to:
Launching the activities, the representative for ANLTP/TIM praised the collaboration with UNODC and highlighted the importance of working together for a comprehensive response to the crimes and the need to promoting increased awareness at the borders.
Over 40 people, including eight women, took part in the activity which covered different subjects, including:
ANLTP/TIM and GLO.ACT were delighted with the positive engagement of all relevant stakeholders and their active participation in the discussions. Looking ahead, this activity, which is part of a series of sensitization events along Niger’s borders, paves the way for the development of a comprehensive approach against human trafficking and migrant smuggling. An approach which aims to involve those working at the borders and local communities and to increase the scope for collaboration with authorities from neighbouring countries at both operational and institutional levels.
Chaibou Moussa, Prosecutor of the High Court of Zinder, also attended the opening ceremony.
The Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants – Niger (GLO.ACT-Niger) is a two-year (2019 - 2021), € 500.000 joint initiative by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MFA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). An earlier phase of this project (2015-2019) was supported by the European Union.
The project builds on a global community of practice set in motion in GLO.ACT 2015-2019 and assists the Government of Niger in targeted, innovative and demand-driven interventions: sustaining effective strategy and policy development, strengthening the criminal justice response, and regional and trans-regional cooperation.
This project is funded by the Government of Italy.