A Voice For the Voiceless

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

With a Little Help From Their Friends

International lobbying finds Bisi Olateru-Olagbegi at her best. It also points to WOCON's niche in the informal Nigerian coalition that has emerged to fight trafficking. Other members of the coalition-AWEG, the Catholic Church, the lawyers, even the press-are also taking on tasks to which they are suited, such as the rehabilitation of girls. WOCON's main function is to get out the message. 

Hands on: Sieglinde Friedman, from The Advocacy Project, works with Bisi Olateru-Olagbegi of WOCON on a new video camera. The camera was delivered to WOCON by the Project on behalf of Fluidarity, an association that helps community advocates with their technical needs.

This division of labor makes sense and plays to the strengths of these partners-all of whom need each other. It requires discipline on their part not to "poach" projects from each other when they spot an issue that might appeal to potential funders.

The question is whether donors will also show discipline by judiciously supporting this coalition, or whether they will respond as donors usually do-by forcing each small group to scramble for funds and then making heavy reporting demands.

The coalition certainly cannot exist without external funding. Volunteerism is great, but it will not pay for the rehabilitation of damaged girls like Berta, or a press campaign, or the protection of witnesses, or an email campaign, or the price of a plane ticket to Rome to coordinate with international NGO partners.

Working on a shoe-string budget definitely puts advocates like WOCON at a disadvantage when they are up against something as organized and well funded as human trafficking. In some countries they might turn to the private sector, but not in Nigeria.

This leaves the ball very much in the hands of foreign governments. Are they sufficiently interested to respond? One would hope so. The U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has declared trafficking the fastest growing international crime. The Government of Italy has committed itself to assisting the reintegration of deported prostitutes into Nigeria. International agencies have passed resolutions and created task forces.

In fact, the rhetoric has been deafening. Yet if Western governments are sincere about putting an end to trafficking they will have to invest in civil society in Nigeria on civil society's own terms. WOCON, AWEG, and the sisters in Benin City are starting to have an impact, but they need the right kind of support and encouragement from friends abroad. This is the next great challenge in the growing international campaign against trafficking. We at the Advocacy Project hope to monitor it carefully in the months ahead.