THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN COMBATING CHILD TRAFFICKING IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The paper investigated the role of the Church in combating child trafficking in Nigeria. The goal of the paper is to examine the history of child trafficking in Nigeria, to determine the causes of child trafficking in Nigeria, to verify the effects of child trafficking in Nigeria, to explain the role of the Church in combating child trafficking in Nigeria and to discuss the challenges faced by Church in combating child trafficking in Nigeria and the ways of overcoming the challenges. The data for the research were basically collected from the library through secondary sources and analyze through the discussion method. The paper found out that the role of the church in combating child trafficking in Nigeria include advocacy, direct intervention, education, collaboration with law enforcement, and spiritual support for survivors. The paper recommended that government must strengthen law enforcement agencies, establish specialized anti-trafficking units, and impose harsher penalties for traffickers, among others.