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MISSION

The Advocacy Project seeks to help community-based advocates produce, disseminate and use information, and so become more effective advocates for human rights and social justice.

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Women's Consortium of Nigeria

13 Okesuna Street, Ikoyi, Lagos Tel: (234)-1-2635300 Fax: (234)-1-2635331 Email WOCON

• Mission
• Advocacy
• Information/ News from WOCON
  • Blogs
  • Photographs
• Dissemination
  • AdvocacyNet
• Networking

Mission

Established in 1995, the Women's Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON) monitors the status of women’s rights politically and socially, organizes resource centers for women’s groups in Nigeria, and works to educate the public on issues of women’s rights and welfare. WOCON is committed to the enforcement of women’s rights and the attainment of equality, development and peace. It also advocates against trafficking and child slavery. 

• Topics: Women’s Rights, Human Trafficking, Childrens’ Rights
• Area: Nigeria
• Founded: 1995

Advocacy

• WOCON has campaigned to stop the trafficking of Nigerian women to Italy and provide better protection for those deported from Italy and sent home.

• WOCON has launched a campaign to put an end to domestic trafficking in Nigeria and neighboring countries. The practice involves the selling of women and girls into domestic slavery.

• WOCON has urged that immigration officials in Western countries should be trained to identify trafficking victims in transit and intervene.

• WOCON rescued 74 boys between the ages of four and 15 from slavery in the granite quarries of Nigeria. The child slaves, who are all from the neighboring state of Benin, were located by members of WOCON that then alerted the Nigerian police. After receiving medical treatment, the boys were returned to their families in Benin. (74 Child Slaves Rescued From Stone Quarries After Intervention by the Women's Consortium of Nigeria)

• WOCON cooperates with TAMPEP, an organization based in Italy and Nigeria, which also helps trafficking victims.  When Nigerian girls are deported from Italy back to Nigeria, many face unemployment and ostracization in their villages and many choose to return to trafficking. WOCON’s role is to meet deported girls at the Lagos airport, help them through customs and police procedures, put them up in hotels, and then put them in contact with TAMPEP in Benin City, where TAMPEP also works with a network of Nigerian NGOs to prevent trafficking. This is done by spreading the word about the violence that awaits girls who are trafficked. TAMPEP is also exploring the possibility of small microenterprises for vulnerable young women. (Nigerian and Italian Civil Society Unite To Protect Trafficked Women Deported From Italy)

Information/ News from WOCON

• Blogs

In 2006, Jessica Sewall and Laura Cardinal interned with WOCON. Read Jessica and Laura's blogs.

In 2005, AP sent Malia Mayson of Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy to design and build a website for WOCON. AP also sent Jessica Smedstad of Örebro University. Read Jessica and Malia’s blogs.

In 2003, AP arranged for a Yale University graduate student, Erica Williams, to intern with WOCON. Read Erica’s blog.

• Photographs

Visit WOCON's website to view their photo gallery.

Dissemination

• AdvocacyNet

June 20, 2006
US State Department Ignores Trafficking to the United States, Say Nigerian Anti-Trafficking Advocates

August 24, 2005
Italian Group Uses ‘Street Units’ to Protect Victims of Sex Trafficking

March/April 2004
Nigerian and Italian Civil Society Unite To Protect Trafficked Women Deported From Italy

November 2003
74 Child Slaves Rescued From Stone Quarries After Intervention by the Women's Consortium of Nigeria

July 2003
US Global Trafficking Review Favors Governments and Ignores Civil Society Charge Advocates in Italy and Nigeria

March/ April 2003
Women's Consortium of Nigeria Launches Campaigns to Halt Domestic Trafficking and Monitor Elections

Networking

Outreach Partners

• TAMPEP
• Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF)

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