Enhancing the cooperation to fight trafficking in human beings from Nigeria to Europe "Enhancing the cooperation to fight trafficking in human beings from Nigeria to Europe" EC funded. Budget € 1.2 million March 2009 – Feb 2011 Summary Total duration of the action 24 months Objectives of the action Overall objective: Progressive reduction of trafficking through better cooperation between Nigeria and Italy to prosecute traffickers, protect and re-integrate victims as well as to prevent trafficking. Specific objectives: (1) To support cooperation between Italian and Nigerian law enforcement officials and the judiciary in order to increase prosecution of trafficking and related offences; (2) To support development of comprehensive knowledge base including statistical data and qualitative studies to better assess scope and forms of THB from Nigeria to Italy and other destination countries; (3) To support identification, assistance and reintegration of returned trafficking victims, linked to viable income-generating measures; (4) To support awareness raising among at-risks groups on THB as well as alternative employment and migration channels Partner(s) Department for Equal Opportunities (DEO), Counter Trafficking Commission, Italy Target group(s) Direct support: Actual and potential victims of human trafficking from Nigeria; Institutional development: National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Ministry of Labour Nigeria, Ministries of Foreign Affairs in Italy and Nigeria, Ministry of Women Affairs, Youth and Social Welfare Nigeria, service providers in Italy and Nigeria, workers and employers’ organizations in Italy and Nigeria Final beneficiaries The final beneficiaries and the target groups are identical (see above) Estimated results Inter-agency coordination between Nigeria and Italy for investigating THB; institutionalized training for relevant government agencies; improved monitoring of recruitment agencies; improved capacity to detect and address instances of trafficking and forced labour; enhanced knowledge base on the scale and scope of human trafficking from Nigeria to Italy; improved processes for reintegration of returned victims in Nigeria through a National Referral Mechanisms; community and traditional leaders, vulnerable groups, government officials, social partners and NGO officials sensitized on THB and forced labour; communities in Nigeria actively reach out to vulnerable groups and support local hotlines Main activities Research on trafficking from Nigeria to Italy for labour exploitation; production of awareness raising materials (particularly in local languages); awareness raising workshops for stakeholders, media and traditional leaders in Nigeria; training manuals and trainings for labour inspectors, police, immigration and port officials, social workers, consular staff, and judicary on THB and forced labour and monitoring private recruitment agencies; preparation and negotiation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between law enforcement in Italy and Nigeria on mechanisms and procedures for the prosecution of traffickers; support establishment of National Referral Mechanism in Nigeria; train staff of reintegration centres in Nigeria; support trade unions at national, regional and inter-regional levels to assist actual and potential trafficking victims; ensure access to vocational training and micro-finance facilities for victims of trafficking.