THE CHURCH AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN NIGERIA

Human trafficking is the conscious act of moving or transporting people from one geographical location to another for commercial purpose of engaging them in business and other activities that are considered legally, morally and ethically wrong. This paper was aimed at reducing the level of human trafficking in Nigeria. The method used in this study is phenomenology. Human trafficking has taken many forms. It has acquired new dimensions. It involves multiple stake holders at the commercial and institutional level. Nigeria is the country of origin, transit point and destination of human trafficking. Women, girls and boys are trafficked for exploitation. The exploitation could be in the form of forced labour, street vending, domestic servitude, forced commercial sexual exploitation, organized begging and others. In this paper, after the examination of the causes of the menace of human trafficking and its effect on national development, the study observed that the church through some organizations such as The Nigeria Conference of Women Religious (NCWR), The Catholic Bishops of Nigeria (CBN)and others embark on enlightenment campaign in schools and communities to prevent trafficking. The bishops and the religions provided spiritual assistance to the victims of human trafficking in Nigeria and abroad. Human trafficking is a social problem that reduces the value of human being in the society, Nigeria has acquired a reputation of being one of the leading African countries in human trafficking and innocent lives are being wasted in hundreds of thousands and on a daily basis.