BACKGROUND
Ours is a non-partisan, non-governmental, non-profit making organization founded to eradicate children/women trafficking and prostitution in Osun State in particular and in Nigeria in general.
Our target audience is youths irrespective of religion, tribe, educational and socio-economic status and gender.
Trafficking, which can be defined as illegal buying and selling of something, has now degenerated to a level where human beings are the objects of trade. Irrespective of age or gender, people are sold to "would-be-taskmasters", who, under the guise of an "assured greener pasture abroad; handsome amount of money as settlement at end of a period or promise of a better today for the families of the victims" engage in "21st century modernized -slave trade".
People are ferried into and out of the country and made to work as slaves under their new masters. This condemnable act has to stop; and that is why the Youths Against Children/Women Trafficking and Prostitution is blazing the trail among NGOs in the State in the fight against this vice.
Prostitution on the other hand is a profoundly disturbing vice which can be seen as doing something that earns you money but that people do not respect because you are capable of doing something better. In other words, it means selling one’s body to others for monetary gain in the Nigerian context. It is also a cankerworm that has eaten deep into the fabric of our society and while we boldly admit that it is highly prevalent in some States, we at YACWOTAP do not want it in Osun State and the few cases that abound, we want to eradicate finally.
Presently, we have 12 (twelve) Field Officers (all volunteers) covering about 6 (six) Local Government Areas in the State. Because of the craze/rush for "hard currency" coupled with the "not-too-good" state of the Nigerian economy, misinformation, ignorance and poverty, the tendency for people to engage in children/women trafficking and prostitution should not be overlooked. We thus, intend to intensify our campaigns on why the society should discourage children/women trafficking and prostitution and refuse to be unwilling "cargoes" in the hands of modern day slave merchants.
We want no more victims in our society as youths are always at the loser end in such situations. Those that are forced to engage in "hard labour" suffer physical and psychological abuse and trauma while those that are made to engage as "Commercial Sex Workers" expose themselves to various risks and diseases. Youths as leaders of tomorrow should be made to live today and protect children and women from extinction.
AIMS
a. Educating youths irrespective of tribe, religion, language or gender in the state on the dangers of children/women trafficking and prostitution.
b. Inculcating in youths the virtues of an all-round cultured citizen with the aim of discouraging their engaging in vices via meaningful seminars, workshops, training and talk-shops.
c. Enlightening the public via dramas, plays, jingles, posters and handbills on the evil effects of engaging in children/women trafficking and prostitution.
d. Encouraging youths to shun acts inimical to the development of their lives and that may endanger women and children in the society.
e. Liaising with constituted authorities on the need for bills/laws that will protect children and women and stiff penalties for those caught engaging in children/women trafficking and prostitution.
PROJECTIONS
We intend to:
1. Have local networks in more local government areas of Osun State.
2. Lay the foundation for the formation of networks in selected 30 secondary schools (each in a local government area) as well as all tertiary institutions in the state.
3. Organise symposiums on "Children/Women Trafficking and Prostitution" in selected model institutions.
4. Influence well meaning citizens of Osun State and role models i.e. Lawyers, Doctors, Teachers, Educational/Public Administrators, Police Officers, members of the organized private sector and selected business moguls to give talks on various topics that will help to discourage children/women trafficking/prostitution.
5. Formation of "standby drama group" to help spread the message of YACWOTAP.
CONCLUSION
Our organization has the wherewithal to contact resource persons to help in spreading the message of YACWOTAP. It is also our intention to, through our activities, produce an all-round cultured Nigerian youth with distaste for children/women trafficking and prostitution and zeal for hard work.
We humbly solicit for your support as the task of governance and ensuring a better society should not be left to the government alone. Supports in terms of technical back-ups (materials - research/instructional aids), seminars and symposiums are needed to further arm our Volunteer Field Officers.
We are also desirous of getting linked with other NGOs with similar aims and objectives. As no meaningful headway could be made without solid financial support from collaborating agencies, we humbly use this medium to seek for your aid in this aspect. You may also link us up with agencies with bias for supporting NGOs like ours financially.
Responses should be addresses to kennis4everysoul@yahoo.com or other e-mail addresses through which you receive this information.
|
|
