The ECOWAS Commission, through its Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs (DHSA), joins the global community to commemorate the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (TIP) on the 30th of July 2025 with the theme, “Human Trafficking is organized crime – End the exploitation”.
In West Africa, human trafficking continues to thrive on the vulnerabilities created by economic hardship, armed conflict, political instability, gender-based inequalities, unemployment, and the search for greener pastures. Our region, like others, has witnessed the devastating toll that trafficking takes on individuals, families, and communities. Victims are stripped of their dignity, freedom, and futures many of them never fully recover from the trauma.
ECOWAS has placed the fight against trafficking in persons at the heart of its human security and social protection agenda. The ECOWAS Commission continues to provide technical assistance, policy guidance, and capacity building support to Member States, with these interventions rooted in a rights-based, victim-centered approach that emphasizes prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnership.
ECOWAS provided 516,000 USD to support over 1,000 victims of Trafficking in Persons. The funds were disbursed between the 15th of August 2024 and the 15th of February 2025 by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). These funds were directly applied, through a field partnership between local IOM offices, the Resident Representatives’ Office in Member States, and National counter Trafficking in Persons Focal Institutions, to the provision of key services to survivors, including shelter, legal aid, psychosocial support, and reintegration assistance.
A total of over 1,100 victims received this support aimed at complementing efforts by Member States, with minors making up about 47% of the victims assisted, while adults constitute 53% of the total number of assisted victims. Female victims were in the majority with about 68,8% while male victims assisted were 31.18%.
Assistance provided has included: Food, clothing, and emergency medical care, school fees and educational materials for children survivors, technical and vocational training tuition for adult victims, and reintegration and empowerment kits, including tools and equipment for income-generating activities.
Some other recent actions by the ECOWAS Commission are as follows:
• As part of its sustained regional coordination efforts, ECOWAS successfully convened the 15th Annual Meeting of the Regional Network of National Focal Institutions Against Trafficking in Persons Plus (RNNI-TIP+), held in Accra, Ghana, from 24–26 July 2023. The meeting reinforced Member States’ commitment to collaboration, legislative reform, and the extension of the ECOWAS Plan of Action to 2028.
• 16th Annual Review Meeting, held in Monrovia, Liberia from 14–16 October 2024, in partnership with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), deepened regional cooperation by validating the Regional Referral Mechanism (RRM), adopting Model Guidelines for National Task Forces, and launching the TIP+ Strategy for Prevention and Response.
• The meeting evaluated the effectiveness of Member States’ initiatives and policies implemented to combat trafficking in persons and included the sharing of successes, challenges, and lessons learned over the past year.
• Resulted in the fostering and strengthening of partnerships and collaborations among Member States, international organizations, and stakeholders to enhance collective efforts in addressing human trafficking, promoting knowledge exchange, and developing coordinated strategies.
• Produced actionable priorities and a roadmap for the upcoming year, identifying innovative solutions and targeted interventions addressing the specific needs and contexts of the ECOWAS region in combating trafficking.
• Adopted the Model Guidelines and Standards for National Task Forces and Focal Institutions on effective coordination and adopted the Trafficking in Persons and Related Criminal Offences Strategy (TIP plus Strategy) integrating the fight against related victimizations from a prevention and respond to Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and Violence Against Children (VAC) and other vulnerable groups perspective.
The listed interventions exemplify the commitment of ECOWAS to ensuring that no one in West Africa is left unprotected or without support.
We call on Member States to intensify domestic implementation of regional and international legal frameworks, including the ECOWAS Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons (especially women and children) and other related instruments.
