Uromi JDPCI Empowers Human Trafficking Victims

The Justice Development Peace and Caritas Initiatives of Uromi Catholic Diocese (Uromi JDPCI), Thursday, 27th April empowered Victims and Survivors of human trafficking, returned migrants, potential migrants and caregivers. 

The empowerment held at the Chancery of the Catholic Diocese of Uromi at Egbele, Uromi was preceded by capacity building for the three categories and consisted of starter packs for different skills ranging from sawing machines, welding accessories, barbing equipment and generators, baking equipment, makeup kits and cash to enhance the business of caregivers. 

Rev. Fr. Fidelis Arhedo, presenting a starter park to one of the beneficiaries

In his remarks, the Executive Director of Uromi JDPCI,  Rev Fr (Dr) Fidelis Arhedo described human trafficking as social ill which has been adopted by some individuals (Traffickers) as their means of livelihood, regretting that it has increased in Edo Central Senatorial and noting that it had become more worrisome as some parents and youths now approach Traffickers to traffick their wards.

Fr. Arhedo disclosed that the empowerment which was kick started in 2022 with scholarships for school children and starter packs for those who have acquired skills is part of the Strengthening Community Participation to Prevent Human Trafficking (SCOPPH-T) in Edo Central Senatorial District, implemented by the Uromi JDPCI pointing out that it is financed by the European Union and Expertise France.

Rev. Fr. Arhedo in a group photograph with the beneficiaries

While narrating how the present empowerment came about the scope of training for the beneficiaries, Father Arhedo said, "For the first category, the women we call caregivers are the mothers whose children we gave scholarships to in 2022. We are now empowering their parents. 

"The training we gave to them is entrepreneurship, how to do business, the methodology, book keeping and all other skills in the different business sectors, for two days and after that we gave them this money to enhance their  business.  Some of them are already in business, doing petty business, so this to actually support them; it's only about three or four of them that actually have no business, like the woman who said she wants to go into cassava fermentation (akpu) business,  the other ones are like strengthening their business or their business were almost collapsing, we now gave them entrepreneurship training.

"Then for the returnees, they were trained from different intervention programmes in various skills, they already acquired trades like hair dressing, fashion design and others and then we gave them trainings on entrepreneur skills for about three days on how to do business, book keeping and others so that they'll know how to treat customers and respect customers, how to retain them. 

"The others are those at risk of trafficking populace. Those ones also received trainings virtually by us. We went into agreement with some artisans to learn trades while about 40%of  them were trained from other projects,  and others have already acquired skills but unable to start up and were discovered during our monitoring".

While stating the objectives of the project,  the Uromi JDPCI Executive Director said, "The title of this project is Strengthening Community Participation to Prevent Human Trafficking (SCOPPH-T) in Edo Central Senatorial District with financial participation of the European Union, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economy Finance as part of Expertise France intervention to support the fight against human trafficking in the states of Gulf of Guinea. The goal of the project is to have an enlightened community with improved socio-economic capacity to reduce the vulnerability of adolescents and youths to human trafficking and irregular migration. 

"The project strategic objective is to support an improved socio-economic reintegration of vulnerable persons, potential victims (children and youth at risk of being trafficked), Victims and Returnees,  so as to prevent the risk of re-victimization."

The Social Welfare Officer in Esan North-East Local Government Council, Emmanuel Okojie who represented the Council at the event thanked Uromi JDPCI for the empowerment and appealed to the beneficiaries to make good use of the money and empowerment start up kits.

One of the beneficiaries,  Precious Aramude from Ugbokhare, Irrua in Esan Central Local Government Area, said one of the community leaders in her area told her to go to Uromi JDPCI for the start up to establish her trade of Make up artist. She thanked the Uromi JDPCI for coming to her aid and other beneficiaries of the empowerment programme and promised to make good use of the starter pack to start her make up business. 

Nineteen caregivers were empowered with N100,000 each to enable them keep their children and wards in school after they were earlier awarded scholarships in 2022 covering tuition, books, school bags and enrolment fees for the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO). The scholarship also covered books for the entire three years of study for those in Senior Secondary School SSS and Junior Secondary School JSS. 

The beneficiaries also include 39 potential migrants and 17 persons who survived human trafficking were also given starter packs to set up their various trades after they've acquired various skills.

High point of the event was the signing of contract between Uromi JDPCI and the caregivers to pave way for the Bank transfer of the N100,000 and the distribution of the starter packs to beneficiaries of the empowerment starter packs.