Child Trafficking in Nigeria

Causes, Outcomes and Interventions

Abstract

Trafficking of persons is a global problem with serious consequences for individual victims as well as communities and countries. This paper took a closer look at child trafficking in Nigerian: causes, outcomes and interventions. Human trafficking is the business of taking children, women and men away from their homes, transporting them elsewhere, to be put to use by others, usually for the sole purpose of exploitations and money making. The paper discusses the concept of human trafficking and reasons for human trafficking such as sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, domestic work, forced marriage and illicit adoption. The major causes of child trafficking are classified into two namely; demands for child and adult labour, sexual exploitation. The problems associated with child trafficking in Nigeria include educational deprivation, physical, psychological, behavioural and health problems. Child trafficking in Nigeria could be prevented through educating the public about trafficking and its associated consequences, investment in educational programmes, poverty alleviation, protection of children’s right and appropriate legislative and enforcement. Everyone in the society needs to fight against human trafficking from the local to international levels.