Faith-based advocacy as a tool for mitigating human trafficking in Nigeria

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of faith-based advocacy (FBA) as a tool for mitigating human trafficking in Nigeria, where trafficking has assumed epidemic dimension. The choice of faith-based advocacy is based on the recognition of religion as a tool for shaping people's opinions and influencing policies in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology employed in the paper is the narrative-textual case study (NTCS) combined with qualitative data. The NTCS method utilises human trafficking data made available by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for the periods 2004 to 2010. Findings – From the qualitative data sourced, the paper argues that human trafficking in Nigeria can be mitigated through faith-based advocacy as exemplified many years back by both Muslim and Christian groups for the abolition of slavery, a similar phenomenon to human trafficking. The paper concludes that the performance of the Nigerian government in the areas of prosecuting traffickers, protecting victims, and preventing human trafficking has been commendable, but could be better enhanced and energized through the power of faith-based advocacy. Originality/value – This paper recommends that governments of Nigeria should partner with religious authorities to jointly mitigate the scourge of human trafficking in Nigeria.