By Emmanuel IgbinosunEmployment and Wages DepartmentMinistry of Labour and Productivity

Information Dissemination on Trafficking By who For who For what purpose How when

Information Dissemination by who Government

Stakeholders

Information dissemination for who?Potential or “would – be” migrantsWHY? Ignorance among potential migrants is one of

the main underlying causes of trafficking. To the question 'if you had known before leaving your country what you know now, if you had known in advance what experience you were going to be confronted with, would you have migrated just the same?', victims of trafficking in their vast majority reply: ' No, if I had known in advance the extent of the ordeal that I had to go through I would have never left the country or I would have left it later following other more protected channels'.

Characteristics of information to be disseminated It should be clear and unambiguous –

easily understandable It should be easily accessible –

Accessibility should be easy for those who need the information. Eg internet, public display boards, offices etc

It should be consistent – the message should be consistent nationally irrespective of who is disseminating the information.

For what purpose?

To prevent uninformed would – be migrants from embarking on blind migration

To build awareness on the dangers of Trafficking and undocumented migration

Assisting potential migrants make proper choices and avoid risky decisions

How?

Public Information Campaigns - Public Information Campaigns are to provide the right information at the right time in order to help prospective migrants to make the right choices.

How is the right time determined?

Determining the right time for Public Information Campaigns Determining the right time requires

knowledge of the process of decision making by potential migrants.

1st stage: migration is considered as an option for improving present state of affairs.

2nd stage: The general decision to migrate is made, but details such as the country of destination, the type of job, or migration channels, have not yet been decided upon

3rd stage: Information about country, routes, jobs etc are actively gathered by the migrant in preparation

In order to be effective Public Information Campaigns A permanent feature of government

action and not just a one- off endeavour; they should be financed with regular budget appropriations

Should be entrusted to a team of specialists.

Should be reliable and credible and be conducted by an organization with an undisputed moral reputation.

In order to be effective

Facts and data must be collected from reliable sources, checked, stored and organized on a permanent basis by a permanent team and regularly updated; (e.g. the list of blacklisted or unlicensed private employment agencies should be continuously updated).

The message should target the prospective migrants and be geared to their idiosyncrasies, expectations and language.

The message conveyed should be balanced, unbiased and well argued.

A variety of forms of audio and visual communications should be used and consistently too. Radio and TV spots, documentaries, situation comedies, interviews, debates should all be utilized as the population reached expands with the number of different means used.

In order to be effective

Messages should be designed to reach all media users (essentially radio and TV, but also Internet).

The conveyed message should be both informative and educative. It should be convincing enough to influence individual thinking and, in the absence of better information, determine decisions and behaviour.

Messages should be designed not only to flow in media but to be stocked in Internet sites and printed publications;

Information material should be shared to other communicators and educators such as adult training centres, trade unions, churches and institutions of higher learning.

An assessment of impact should be regularly undertaken and messages updated accordingly.

In order to be effective

Public information Campaigns must provide labour market specific information (This is usually targeted at migrants at the second stage of decision making).

What type of information do you think this should include? General conditions of work and life. Trade union organization. Minimum wages. Benefits. Channels and transfer charges for cash remittances. Housing. Schooling. Transport. Facilities to learn the language.

In order to be effective

Public Information Campaigns must also provide pre – departure information. Such information should include; Travel documents. Visas. Clearances. Health certificates. The time it takes, on average, to obtain

these documents. The permissible fees or upper limits of fees

that be can be legitimately charged for services related to these procedures.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Law enforcement by who? Police Immigration services NAPTIP Customs Labour Inspectors

FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT TO BE EFFECTIVE: Sanctionable activities should be

determined. These may include: Aiding trafficking Abetting trafficking Instigating trafficking Attempting trafficking Omission to act against trafficking Conspiracy to undertake trafficking

LAW ENFORCEMENT: ROLE OF PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES In your opinion what role should Private

Employment Agencies play? In the case of self-regulation, like that

agreed upon by associations of private employment agencies in Nigeria, the burden of tracking malpractice among the member agencies lies in the first place with the association. As set by the association's own rules, an internal system of investigation and ruling can lead to a sanction (blame, fine or exclusion) with no judicial effect. When the offence is an overt breach of law, law enforcement authorities become involved, followed by administrative or judicial procedures of investigation.

LAW ENFORCEMENT: ROLE OF LABOUR INSPECTORS What are some of the roles of labour

inspectors?

DEALING WITH VICTIMS

When dealing with victims, labour inspectors must always remember that victims may be: Fearful of repercussions by the trafficker/recruiter on

her/himself or loved ones. Having severe financial problems. Homeless. Without ID documents. Not speaking the language of the country of destination. Afraid to disclose their irregular status in the country of

employment. Unfamiliar with the appropriate procedures in the country

of destination. Distrustful of authorities because they have encountered

corrupt officials. Afraid of stigmatization - E.g. women that have been

forced to work in the sex industry. Seeking to migrate.

INTER – AGENCY COOPERATION Inter – agency cooperation is

important in effective fight against trafficking and forced labour.

Agencies must be aware of their roles and responsibilities which should be clearly spelt out.