Blue Bus Campaign: The journey so far after 8 months

Authors:

Ayoola Adetayo

November 11, 2021 6:05 PM

What the Blue Bus has been up to since the awareness-raising campaign began in early 2021.

Blue Bus Campaign by NAPTIP and IOM

For months, the Blue Bus has relentlessly toured Nigerian states, taking the anti-human-trafficking mandate to the areas most affected by this scourge, and the people most susceptible to its dangers. The drive for this project is being spearheaded by NAPTIP, with support from the International Organisation for Migration alongside the Government of Switzerland.

From March up till the time of publishing this article, the awareness-raising and educative Blue Bus campaign has continually risen to the challenge of reaching some of the people who need the most knowledge on human trafficking in order to recognise and ward off the advances of human traffickers who are known to come with different creative ploys and schemes to lure people into inhumane servitude, sex slavery, illegal migration, organ harvesting, and other forms in which trafficking in persons manifest.

Cheptepkeny Cyprine, Programme Officer for awareness-raising at IOM Nigeria speaks on what the activities of the Blue Bus have been from the beginning of the campaign up to this point…

The biggest success story so far

Since we launched the blue bus campaign project in March 2021, we’ve been able to reach out to more communities. Through funding support from the Swiss and close collaboration from NAPTIP, over 6000 persons in 28 communities has been reached with information on trafficking in persons and where they can get help in their respective communities

Biggest challenges

Since the implementation of the project, no unforeseen situation has threatened the success of the campaign other than a few security concerns in some communities in Edo State. However, IOM in coordination with NAPTIP works with different partners including police who have been instrumental in providing security in some of the areas.

The team is as committed as ever and is still raring to go

NAPTIP staff has been committed to the implementation of the project and their morale is still high as when the campaign initially commenced.

How long more to go and for the remaining duration of the Blue Bus project

Sensitization in Delta has been planned and will kick off in the third week of November 2021. NAPTIP in collaboration with IOM aims at reaching out to 10 communities in Delta states with sensitization messages on trafficking in persons and where victims can get help such as through contacting NAPTIP hotline on 627 or get on spot assistance through the Blue Bus campaign.

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The Blue Bus project is funded by the Government of Switzerland.

Follow Blue Bus on Facebook: Blue bus Facebook

On Instagram: BluebusbyNAPTIP Instagram

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