By: Nyima Sillah
The Executive Director of the National Agency Against Trafficking in Persons (NAATIP), IsatouDarboe, has highlighted the Banjul International Airport’s susceptibility to human traffickers, saying the airport is a major entry and exit point for traffickers.
In opening remarks at a day-long training of airport security personnel and shelter staff on trafficking in persons held at the airport hall on Thursday, the NAATIP boss explained that various points of entry and exit exist for human trafficking that perpetrators often use. This, she explained, could be either by land, sea, or air.
“In The Gambia, the data we have recorded so far in respect of individuals who have been trafficked in The Gambia from other countries, and Gambians that left the soil to other countries either under the pretense of labor migration or search of greener pasture and end up being trafficked, we’ve realized that the airport is a major entry and exit point for these traffickers,” Madam Darbo told the participants.
She pointed out that NAATIP does not have officials or personnel based at the airport round the clock to monitor migration, and immigration patterns as it should be.
“Since human tracking is an issue that requires humanitarian support, cooperation and coordination, it is key and fundamental that all stakeholders in the fight against trafficking in person to, at least, have a basic[understanding of] element of trafficking in person,” Mrs.Darbo said. This, she continued, will help them in identifying victims of trafficking, knowing theindicators, knowing what the potential signs of trafficking are and knowing how to refer them to appropriate services in the event they encounter certain cases of TIP.
The NAATP Executive Director further stated that there are so many instances in which traffickers can come up with cases of adoption without the required documentation, saying securities might come across cases of smuggling of migrants even not at the airport.
“You will realize that trafficking in Persons and Smuggling is not the same. Sometimes, a case that starts with smuggling might end up being a case of trafficking. So, understanding the dynamics of trafficking is the essence of such training. We learn from your day-to-day encounters and this will help us strategize how to combat trafficking in persons. Also, help to share the information and knowledge on Trafficking in Persons,” she told the participants.
