The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have extended their anti-human trafficking awareness campaign to private schools in Edo State, with the inauguration of a Vanguard Club at Aunty Joy Preparatory School, Ogheghe, near Benin.
The inauguration, held on Thursday, November 12, 2026, was conducted under the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP), which seeks to equip students with the knowledge to identify trafficking risks and mobilise their peers against exploitation. ICMPD Junior Project Officer in Edo, Daniella Ige, said the expansion to private schools was necessary because children were vulnerable to trafficking regardless of the type of school they attended.
Ige disclosed that five private schools were among the 50 institutions targeted under the project’s pilot phase, adding that Aunty Joy Preparatory School was selected partly because of its location and potential to serve as a training centre for neighbouring schools.
NAPTIP’s Head of Research and Programme Development Unit in Benin, Umoren Iniobong, described the clubs as a preventive measure and urged members to serve as advocates and information channels within their schools, families and communities. The school’s Principal, Queensly Ovenseri, welcomed the initiative but called for regular monitoring to ensure the club remained active.
The project, implemented by ICMPD in partnership with NAPTIP and relevant Edo institutions, with funding from the Government of the Netherlands, uses school-based advocacy and community sensitisation to prevent human trafficking and promote safe migration awareness among young people.
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