Criminals are increasingly taking advantage of digital technology's benefits and promise to unite humanity and improve people's lives.
This was stated in the 2020 Global Report on Human Trafficking by the UNODC, which was released yesterday in Abuja in conjunction with the World Day Against Human Trafficking.
The focus of this year's subject, "Use and Abuse of Technology," was on how technology may be utilised as a tool to both facilitate and prevent human trafficking.
Online resources can be a trap for those who are constantly moving, particularly when it comes to bogus vacation plans and fake employment offers that prey on vulnerable groups, the survey claims.
According to the report, traffickers utilise the internet as part of their business strategy to lure victims into forced labour, sexual slavery, and other forms of exploitation.
Traffickers can readily access a larger customer base, particularly sex purchasers, using the internet.
One court case in particular serves as an excellent example: Using online advertisements, a single trafficker, operating alone, was able to sexually exploit one victim and connect them with over 100 sex purchasers over the course of 60 days.
In her remarks at the event, UNODC Executive Director Ms. Ghada Waly emphasised how traffickers employ technology because of the cross-border nature of information and communications technologies, which allows traffickers to increase their reach and earnings with even more impunity.
A five-day bootcamp for state task forces on human trafficking was completed by UNODC, FIIAP, Expertise France, and IOM under the overall coordination of NAPTIP as part of the build-up of events in Nigeria towards the World Day against trafficking in persons.
Its goal was to improve information exchange between state task forces and between NAPTIP and state task forces about joint initiatives to combat human trafficking at the state and local levels.
Oliver Stolpe, the UNODC's country representative, stressed during his speech at the occasion the importance of collaboration between state and non-state actors in order to improve information gathering and sharing capabilities and create "protocols for action."
In order to spread the word about preventing human trafficking, state task groups on the issue in Nigeria launched a number of sensitization and awareness campaigns through road shows, school sensitizations, and high-level advocacy visits to government.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) Director General, Dr. Fatima Waziri-Azi, stated that the organisation has saved many Nigerian girls who were victims of fake online jobs during a press conference to launch activities to commemorate the 2022 World Day against Trafficking in Persons. After paying the enrollment fee and leaving the country, many of them fell into the hands of traffickers. When they got there, they discovered there was neither the school nor the scholarship that had been advertised in the false commercials.
She stated that: “The internet provides easy access to a larger pool of potential victims because geographical limitations no longer exist, thereby increasing the ease with which traffickers can locate and recruit their victims; control and organize transportation for victims, communicate amongst perpetrators, and hide criminal proceeds.” She further disclosed that with over 70,000 reports on online trafficking, the agency is working in partnership with Facebook to enhance tracing and diligent investigation of traffickers.