The Criminal Justice System and the Problem of Human Trafficking in Nigeria

• In Event: Organized Crime and Human Trafficking: Victims and the Criminal Justice Response

Abstract

Nigeria is one of the leading African countries engaged in human trafficking with cross-border and internal trafficking. It is a transit source and destination country for women and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, trafficking in persons is now the third most profitable business for organized crime. Several reasons have been advanced for the incidence and upsurge of human trafficking in Nigeria. Studies have shown that the major receivers of trafficked women and children from Nigeria are Mediterranean Countries. This trend goes to show that human trafficking is a global demand driven business with a huge market for cheap labor and commercial sex. The most worrisome of these trends in human trafficking is the role of the criminal justice system, particularly the law enforcement agents both in, and outside of Nigeria. This paper investigates the ways in which the law enforcement agencies aid or deter human trafficking in Nigeria. It seeks to address the questions: Are there any collaboration between the law enforcement agencies in Nigeria and those at European entry borders? How can the collaboration between affected countries be used in combating the human trafficking problem?

Author

• Chioma Daisy Onyige, University of Port Harcourt