President Goodluck Jonathan (State House Photo)
President Goodluck Jonathan has signed a new Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015 which prohibits the use of children below the age of 12 years old as domestic house nannies.
This was a lieu with the government policy of compulsory education for children in the age bracket.
A breach in the new law attracts a jail term between two to ten years to the offenders.
This was made known through the Director-General of the National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Person, NAPTIP, Mrs. Beatrice Jedy-Agba, on Thursday, April 9, 2015.
According to Jedy-Agba, the new law imposes stiffer penalties on human trafficking offenders, adding that the abuse and exploitation of children under 12 years old who are being used as domestic help are aggravating circumstances that attract higher jail terms.
She said; "What we have done is to introduce a minimum sentence status. For instance, if you engage a child of below 12 years, there is compulsory imprisonment of not less than two years. There is no option of fine. The fine is in addition to imprisonment.
“The judge, of course, also have the discretion to impose five or 10 years, depending on the circumstances and severe abuse.”Jedy-Agba also said the old Act was repealed after the re-enactment of the new law on March 26, 2015.
She said the old NAPTIP law was repealed because it was found to be inadequate to nip the crime of human trafficking in the bud.
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