CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

In Nigeria today, trafficking in persons (TIP) is a serious crime.  TIP involves an act committed for the purpose of exploiting someone’s labour or services.  Victims are compelled to provide their labour or services under circumstances which would be reasonably expected to cause them to fear for their own safety or for the safety of someone known to them if they refuse to provide that service or labour (UNICEF, 2007).  Unlike most other offences, TIP violates the autonomy of its victims, often through repeated acts of violence or threats of violence, manipulation and psychological control.  These acts or threats of violence will frequently, in and of themselves, constitute separate criminal acts.

        Trafficking in persons, according to United Nations (2000), denotes the recruitment, transportation, transfer, labouring or a receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of powers or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation, servitude and child labour. Operationally, trafficking in persons is viewed as a modern day form of slavery. It refers to the use of deceit and coercion to recruit and transfer persons either internally within the domestic borders of a country or externally across international borders for the purpose of exploitation. Trafficking in persons differs from abduction in the sense that while TIPs is a modern day form of slavery, abduction is the forceful snatching away of people without negotiating for consent. Victims of human trafficking are young children, teenagers, men and women who are subjected to force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of sexual exploitation, servitude and child labour (Ekpe, 2006).

        The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF, 1998) indicated that 4000 children were trafficked from Cross River and Akwa Ibom States to various parts of Nigeria as well as other countries. Internal human trafficking is predominant in some States of the Federation that are categorized as endemic. Such States are Lagos, Ogun and Rivers States in the southern part of Nigeria and Kano, Katsina, Benue, Adamawa and Taraba States in the Northern part. Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Ogun States provide outlets for external trafficking in persons to ltaly, Spain, Gabon, Benin Republic and Cameroon.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM    

The situation of the Nigeria economy has become a major clog on the wheel of socio-economic development and decent livelihood among families in Nigeria; the above factor made parents to send their children off to work believing that it could better the economic situation of the family. Most children are being sent as house help to relatives in big cities; some are sent to learn trading but at the end of the day most of them are now used for other purposes. Some are used as a tool for drugs, fraud and prostitution etc.

        According to NAPTIP (2007) showed that much is still required to ensure adequate, safe and healthy environment for such children in Nigeria. It also established that human trafficking is endemic in almost all the states of Nigeria and young people and women considered particularly vulnerable because of their weak profile. Secondly, there have been studies on trafficking in person but not even a single study has been carried out on newspaper coverage of trafficking in person. It is to this regard that the research desired to carry out a content analysis of punch, Guardia and Tribune newspaper coverage of trafficking in person in Nigeria

1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main aim of the research work is to carry out a content analysis of punch, Guardia and Tribune newspaper coverage of trafficking in person in Nigeria. Other specific objectives of the study are:

1. to determine the direction of trafficking in person (TIP) in Nigeria as covered by punch, guardian and tribune in 2017to determine the causes of human trafficking in person (TIP) in Nigeria
2. to determine the extent to which  the punch, Guardia and Tribune newspaper has covered trafficking in person (TIP) situations in Nigeria
3. to determine the difference in coverage on trafficking in person (TIP) by the punch, guardian and tribune newspaper

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study came up with research questions so as to ascertain the above stated objectives of the study. The research questions for the study are:

1. What is the direction of trafficking in person (TIP) in Nigeria as covered by punch, guardian and tribune in 2017?
2. What are the causes of human trafficking in person (TIP) in Nigeria?
3. To what extent has the punch, Guardia and Tribune newspaper covered trafficking in person (TIP) situations in Nigeria?
4. What is the difference in coverage on trafficking in person (TIP) by the punch, guardian and tribune newspaper?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

The study on newspaper coverage of trafficking in person in Nigeria will be of immense benefit to the media especially the punch, guardian and tribune newspapers. The study will also create awareness campaign on the prevalence of trafficking in person in Nigeria as reported by the newspaper (punch, guardian and tribune). Secondly the study will serve as a repository of information to other researchers that desire to carry out similar research on the above topic. Finally the study will contribute to the body of existing literature and knowledge in this field of study and provide a basis for further research

1.6 SCOPE OF STUDY

The study on newspaper coverage of trafficking in person in Nigeria will be limited to TIP coverage by the punch, guardian and tribune newspapers in the year 2017.

1.7 LIMITATION OF STUDY

Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Human trafficking: Human trafficking in accordance to the research work is the trade of women and children for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others

Human Migration: Human migration is the movement by women and children from one place to another with the intentions of settling, permanently or temporarily in a new location.

Child labour: the employment of children in an industry or business, especially when illegal or considered exploitative

Trafficking in person (TIP):

Trafficking in persons” shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments.