2.2.7. Return and long-term reintegration of victims of trafficking

2.2.7. Return and long-term reintegration of victims of trafficking

Actors involved

Multiple actors - including government bodies, international organisations, and NGOs - are involved in the reintegration governance of Nigerian returnees. In 2019, the Nigerian government led the development of the Guidelines for Facilitating the Safe, Dignified and Voluntary Return, Readmission and Reintegration of Migrants in Nigeria Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), which entered implementation in 2020. The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) is the designated agency responsible for coordinating reintegration efforts and for the implementation of the SOP. The SOP contains guidance for reintegration processes, in alignment with international legal standards, and is intended to enhance coordination among stakeholders involved in the reintegration of returnees.204 These stakeholders include the Nigeria Immigration Service, which is tasked with documenting and processing returnees; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose diplomatic missions support the return of stranded migrants; and NAPTIP, which delivers rehabilitation support to returned victims of trafficking. NAPTIP also engages with regional and local authorities, international organisations, and community-based organisations in the implementation of the SOP. At the regional level, the Edo State Task Force Against Human Trafficking (ETAHT) - which became the Edo State Migration Agency (EDMA) in 2024 - has played a leading role in reintegration governance.205 Also, the Nigerian government collaborates with the Network of Civil Society Organisations Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL) to ensure referral of victims.206

As part of the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) programme, IOM provides support to Nigerian returnees, including returned victims of trafficking.207 Since 2016, IOM has implemented the EU-IOM Joint initiative208 for Migrant Protection, Return and Reintegration Programme for Sub-Saharan Africa (MPRR-SSA) funded by the European Union (EU). Since October 2022, IOM has supported the voluntary return of over 20 970 Nigerian migrants under the MPRR-SSA,209 primarily from Libya and Niger.210Top of Form IOM also runs the Enhanced Reintegration Support for Survivors of Trafficking (ERS) project in Nigeria aiming at equipping survivors with business development skills, also offering them small business grants.211

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have been critical partners in addressing and managing return migration in Nigeria. In Edo State, several NGOs operate as a network of CSOs to provide psycho-social support to victims of trafficking, legal assistance and counselling, advocacy, case reporting to the authorities, and community sensitisation.212 Religious organisations also provide counselling and shelter services to trafficking victims for reintegration purposes.213

Victim identification and access to support

1. As explained by Dr Sarah Adeyinka, in most cases, the modality of return determines the type of support that returned victims receive. This is largely because, in the case of EU-funded reintegration schemes, the available support and eligibility criteria are set by the donor. Individuals return to Nigeria through three main ways: forced return, self-funded or family-funded return, and assisted return through IOM’s AVRR programmes. When people return through the AVRR, there is usually some form of reintegration support and assistance. This also means that returnees are officially registered, and both NCFRMI and NAPTIP are informed. When people return spontaneously, using their own or their family’s money, they often come back through the same migration routes they used when leaving. In these cases, neither NAPTIP nor NCFRMI are aware that they are back in the country (or even left). As a result, ‘many victims of trafficking return completely under the radar.’214

NAPTIP reported to have rescued and received 6 162 trafficking victims from September 2021 until August 2024.215 Between 2017 and the first quarter of 2024,216 IOM facilitated the voluntary return of 4 877 Nigerian victims of trafficking, comprising 4 261 females (87 %) and 616 males (13 %). IOM informed that, in coordination with relevant government agencies, civil society organisations and non-governmental partners, they supported the reception and reintegration of these individuals upon their return, providing safe and secure shelter, family tracing and reunification services.217

According to Dr Adeyinka, despite ongoing efforts, gaps in victim identification persist. In some cases, even victims of trafficking returning to Nigeria through the IOM’s AVRR programme are not identified as victims upon arrival at the airport - and as a result, they receive no support at all. For her Reintegrate Study, Dr Adeyinka interviewed 69 returnees; 41 were victims of trafficking, but only four had been recognised by NAPTIP, while the remaining 39 victims - many of whom returned through the IOM scheme - arrived at the airport without being identified.220

Shelter

Effective reintegration

Nigerian returnee victims of trafficking face various obstacles to reintegrate, mainly due to financial pressures, challenges reconnecting with family, and stigma.235 Women returnees especially experience significant reintegration challenges, including lack of family support, financial instability, and unemployment.236 Women who return pregnant or with children may experience additional difficulties, including family rejection and economic hardship.237 UN Women stated that promised reintegration support has often failed to materialise for returnees and widespread perceptions persist that institutions, including the United Nations, have failed to adequately support victims and survivors.238 At the same time, IOM reported that, out of the total 4 261 trafficked victims they have assisted to return between 2017 and the first quarter of 2024, 3 122 (64 %) had been ‘completely reintegrated into the society’, 34 % remained in the process of reintegration, 2 % had the ‘reintegration deactivated’.239

Limited availability of psychosocial and social support services in Nigeria poses a major challenge, especially given the severity of the psychosocial impact many victims have experienced. Psycho-social support training is often not covered by reintegration programmes, ‘reinforcing perceptions that it is less important than economic assistance.’242 Some shelters have staff trained in psychological first aid and trauma counselling; however, Nigeria’s mental health system remains under-resourced. Training on disability inclusion varies across regions and NGOs, while access to specialised services - such as those for individuals with intellectual disabilities - is still relatively limited.243