The Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour, NACTAL, has faulted the United States Department of State’s 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report on Nigeria, alleging that it failed to adequately recognise the contributions of civil society organisations in the fight against human trafficking.
The National President of NACTAL, Osita Osemene, stated this at the public presentation of NACTAL’s review of the 2025 U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report, held in Abuja.
The Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour says it is seeking a comprehensive and evidence-based assessment that recognises both the progress made and existing challenges in the fight against trafficking.
The organisation argues that Nigeria’s anti-trafficking response extends beyond government institutions.
NACTAL stresses that any assessment that fails to capture the contributions of non-governmental organisations, community-based groups and international development partners risks presenting an incomplete picture of the country’s efforts.
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The new leadership of NACTAL also expressed concern that the report, in its assessment, did not sufficiently reflect the protection capacity, shelter services, prevention activities and survivor-support interventions undertaken by frontline organisations across the country.
The group called on the U.S. Department of State to adopt a more inclusive methodology in future reports to reflect the multi-stakeholder nature of Nigeria’s anti-trafficking response.
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(Editor: Ada Ononye)
