Nigeria, Netherlands, IOM Inaugurate Programme To Assist Migration, Traffic Victims

The Federal Government, in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and The Netherlands on Tuesday, inaugurated a programme to assist victims of illegal migration and trafficking in Nigeria.

The project, sponsored by the government of The Netherlands and tagged “Cooperation on Migration and Partnership to Achieve Sustainable Solutions (COMPASS)”, is a global initiative designed to protect migrants and victims of trafficking.

The initiative also aims to tackle human trafficking, human smuggling, and support dignified return as well as promote sustainable reintegration.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Saskia Kok, IOM’s Programme Manager, explained that the scheme takes advantage of a social approach to assisting individuals.

She said the project would be implemented simultaneously in 12 countries and would work across all levels, including households, communities, and the wider community.

Countries, where the programme will be implemented, include Nigeria, Afghanistan, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Niger, and Tunisia.

“There is a lot of opportunities to share best practices, work together, and make the most of migration management capacities of all countries involved.

“It has a very strong learning component designed to improve knowledge and update lessons learned.

“IOM and its partners have implemented and funded a couple of programmes and we have made significant progress.

“We have supported the review of relevant national policies including the migration policy, labour migration policy, and the diaspora policy.

“We have also worked with NAPTIP to revise and adopt the national policy for the protection and assistance of victims of trafficking,” she said.

According to her, the new programme is focused on returning irregular migrants and also reintegrating them into society.

She said that in the past four years, more than 21,000 migrants had been returned.

She said that most of the returnees had been exposed to violence, exploitation, and abuse and as such, “it is difficult to reintegrate them.”

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development Hajiya Umar Farouq commended the government of the Netherlands for sponsoring the project.

She assured of Nigeria’s commitment to the realisation of the 2030 Agenda, Agenda 2063, and key principles outlined in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration.

She said that the government “is prepared to support policies, programmes, and initiatives that keep migrants’ rights, dignity, and protection at the center” while strengthening cooperation for international migration.