THE PERCEPTION OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AND PARENTS IN EDO STATE ON FACTORS INFLUENCING WOMEN TRAFFICKING

This study was set to investigate the „Perception of University Students and Parents in Edo State on Factors Influencing Women Trafficking: Implication for Curriculum Review‟. The researcher employed the survey research method. The population of the study comprised of two universities, 500 students and 500 parents. The simple random sampling technique was used to select 100 students and 100 parents. The respondents were 100 students and 100 parents. A 30 – item questionnaire was constructed and used in collecting the needed information from the respondents. Mean score was used to answer the research questions and the chi – square (χ2) of independence was used to test the corresponding hypotheses. The analysis of data collected for the research led to the following findings (among others): that victims were subjected to oaths and debt bondage; victims were mainly recruited by family members and acquaintances, and travelled of their own free will, but claimed that they were deceived about the nature of their jobs in Italy; most victims‟ parents are engaged in low-income occupation; most of the victims came from autocratic family background; people have become more willing to engage in previously condemned forms of sexuality because religious exercises now has less control on individuals; customs and traditions forbid prostitution in Edo State but women still go in for it because of the financial gains involved. Based on the findings, the researcher strongly recommended (among others): that federal government policy on women trafficking must be depoliticized; there should be an enabling law that would authorize the confistication of assets acquired from trafficking to deter traffickers; Edo State Government should set up more skill acquisition centres where the youth can acquire various occupational skills; government should set up effective rehabilitation centres, identify some NGOs and draw up a programme for rehabilitation of victims after they have left the rehabilitation centre; and the curriculum should be reviewed to reflect skill acquisition.

The people of Edo State, Nigeria, consist of a group of historically related people who trace their origins or ancestry to the Benin Kingdom. The inhabitants of the kingdom of Benin were also known as Edo people. The names Edo and Benin can be used interchangeably. Edo is better used in vernacular speech, while Benin is used in English. Both names thus represent the land and people of Benin. The people of Edo State can be divided into five (5) main ethnic groups distinct from each other in certain linguistics, social and some cultural features. These are Benin or the Edo proper, Esan, Etsako, Owan and Akoko Edo (Justice and Home, 2010).

Edo State has a lot of economical potential. Unfortunately, most of the youth are no longer interested in farming activities. They prefer wage employment. Since its creation, Edo State has been experiencing economic hardship as a result of implementation of macroeconomic policies adopted by the Federal Government since 1982. Economic stabilization policies adopted since 1982 and especially the Structural Adjustment Programme adopted in 1986 have had depressing effects on employment, incomes, and the standard of living. The Structural Adjustment Programme with its restrictive financial policies, retrenchment of public sector workers and a freeze on wage increases, have had very harsh impacts on the State. Successive waves of retrenchment in the State public service, failure to pay retirement benefits, and irregular payment of salaries, have all raised the incidence of poverty in the State. The high incidence of poverty and absence of jobs have contributed to the large number of Edo State citizens, male and female, leaving the State for foreign countries in search of better economic prospects.