Topic:
Country: Niger
Delegate Name: Emma Lairet-Sorensen
Human trafficking is a big issue worldwide. It is defined as the unlawful act of transporting or coercing people to benefit from their work or service, usually in the form of forced labor or sexual exploitation. Women and girls are about 70% of trafficked victims and survivors in Niger, and children are about 37% of victims. Human trafficking is a violation of many human rights and needs to be dealt with.
The UN has been working hard to address human trafficking since 1949. At the end of 2003, The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime was implemented. It addresses human trafficking as a crime and includes all forms of exploitation. From 2018 to 2023 the UNODC and the EU partnered in the Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants. There have been many actions taken against human trafficking yet it is still an issue. The government of Niger believes that there needs to be more education on this matter to law enforcers and people in power. Stricter laws should also be put in place to prevent temptation. The National Coordinating Commission and the National Agency for the Fight against Trafficking in Persons (CNCLTP and ANLTP) have served as the coordinating task force for the transition government of Niger, helping anti-trafficking efforts. In 2023 the transition government put almost $85,000 into these organizations to prevent human trafficking, which almost doubled the amount provided the previous year.
The delegation of Niger would support a resolution for initiatives to cooperate internationally in order to fight trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling to discuss plans for establishing joint projects to refer, identify, and protect trafficked victims and smuggled migrants. Much of trafficking reports are of smuggled migrants across borders. In May 2022, Niger and Nigeria held a meeting with many officials that started a cross-border cooperation between the 2 countries. This happened because the passage between Niger and Nigeria is a big smuggling route for organized crime in both of these countries.
Partnering between countries could be a helpful solution to avoiding smuggling migrants across borders, which can help catch traffickers and save victims. Training border patrollers and police about human trafficking are also important. We should even teach the average community about this topic. Spreading awareness to young people about the dangers of trafficking, online or in person. Spreading awareness to parents and adults about the dangers their child could get into is also valuable.
In conclusion, the delegation of Niger would support resolutions to spread awareness, train border patrols, and cooperate across borders to prevent migrant smuggling, which will prevent human trafficking.
