AACC and Symbols of Hope equipped Interfaith Religious Leaders to offer psychosocial support to survivors of human trafficking in Africa

In western Africa, and across the African continent, irregular migration within and outside Africa remains one of the greatest challenges of our time partly due to poverty and other factors that increase the young people's vulnerability to human trafficking and modern-day slavery. In addition to exposing perpetuators of these evils and breaking their chains of influence, religious leaders also have a key role to play in facilitating healing among the survivors of human trafficking and in offering psychosocial support to migrant returnees who need to be resettled and re-established within their home communities.

Attended by both Christian and Muslim leaders, this training held on 12th to 15th August 2024 at Kanem suites Abuja, Nigeria, equipped the participants with skills they need to offer psychosocial support to survivors of irregular migration and human trafficking and to address the psychosocial needs of their families. Capacity building sessions of the training were punctuated with sharing of experiences of pain, agony, suffering and hope by the survivors of human trafficking that fired up the religious leaders’ zeal to become advocates and agents of combatting Human Trafficking in Africa.

In a joint statement produced at the end of the training, the religious leaders described human trafficking as evil, condemned all forms of ill-treatment of persons, and affirmed every human being’s right to human dignity. They argued their fellow religious leaders to join them in this fight against human trafficking as they all labored to create a safer society for all. Read the full statement here.

In the Photo: [A group photo of the workshop facilitators. Courtesy - Rev Angele Dogbe].