Empowered to Protect: My Journey as an Anti-Human Trafficking Consultant

I am deeply grateful to be a beneficiary of the Full Women Scholarship Certification on Human Trafficking Prevention, a training that has profoundly strengthened my work as a social worker in Ekiti State.

A few years ago, I met a young girl who was taken from Ekiti to Lagos under the promise of a better life. From there, plans were already in motion to traffick her out of the country. I have also heard countless stories of girls from Ekiti who were moved through dangerous routes to Libya, chasing what they believed was a chance at survival.

These experiences stay with you. They remind you that human trafficking is not a distant issue — it is happening here, affecting children and young women from our own communities.

This training has empowered me to better understand the patterns, tactics, and root causes of trafficking, including poverty, unemployment, and the lack of safe opportunities. If these girls had access to decent jobs, education, and a thriving society, many would not be forced into desperate searches for “greener pastures.”

Today, I am better equipped to:

✓Identify early warning signs of trafficking

✓Educate families and community members on prevention

✓Work more effectively with referral systems and relevant agencies

✓Support survivors using a rights-based, trauma-informed approach

I now carry this responsibility not just as a social worker, but as a Certified Anti-Human Trafficking Consultant, committed to prevention, advocacy, and the protection of vulnerable children and women across Ekiti State.

I sincerely appreciate the Olusegun Fadare Foundation, the US Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights (USIDHR), NAPTIP Ekiti, and the Ekiti State Task Force on Human Trafficking for investing in women and strengthening frontline response.

Ending human trafficking requires more than sympathy — it demands awareness, opportunity, collaboration, and action.

Together, we can build safe communities where no child or young woman is forced to risk her life in search of hope.