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The Skeep Project officially kicked off On Wednesday the 30th of March 2022 as two Open University (OU) International Development researchers Drs Margaret Ebubedike and Saraswati Dawadi, in partnership with Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF), Nigeria, ACE Charity Africa and Peace Rehabilitation Centre, Nepal, connected key stakeholders, across three- nations- Nigeria, Nepal and the UK in a stakeholder and knowledge exchange engagement event to deliver impact from an OU research which explored the strategies and practices used by the NGO shelters to support girl survivors of human trafficking.

Impact acceleration project enables OU, UK academics facilitate external partnerships or stakeholder engagement activities which create pathways to deliver impact from the university’s research. The OU is the UK’s largest university, supporting over 2 million people across the world to realise their learning ambitions, and with a world leading reputation for innovative and high- quality research. The OU’s research shapes policy and practice, drives innovation, changes lives for the better throughout the UK and around the globe and addresses government research priorities and initiatives globally, from upskilling to championing research and development.

In response to this, the theme of the stakeholder engagement centred on good practices for improved support for human trafficking victims and survivors with focus on women and girls- Nepal and Nigeria. Considering the event was a cross-national one, the focus was to share good practices across two nations- Nepal and Nigeria.

The keynote address titled of good practices for improved support to girl victims of human trafficking was delivered separately by Dr Fatima Waziri – Azi, DG National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), who was ably represented by Mr Josiah Emerole, Director, Public Enlightenment, NAPTIP,Nigeria and Anjana Maharjan, DSP Anti Human Trafficking Bureau (Nepal).

Other speakers that graced the event included Her Excellency The wife of the former Vice president Titi Abubakar, Julie Okah-Donli Chair, Board of Trustees, United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons (UNVTF), Executive Chairman, Roost Foundation, Hon Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora. Speakers from Nepal included Suman Sapkota, Executive director, Peace Rehabilitation Centre, Krishna Jeevi Ghimire, Deputy Attorney General and Prabhat Chhetri, Assistant Government Attorney.

The event generated lively debates around how support for trafficking victims especially women and girls can be made better. Participants from Nepal and Nigeria shared good practices from each country and identified effective practices and strategies that NGOs are using to improve the conditions for girls and women vulnerable to exploitation in Nigeria and Nepal.

At the end, discussant agreed that the missing voice in the conversation is the voice of the women and girls themselves. It was agreed that for practices that support women and girls trafficking survivors to be made better, the voices of victims themselves need to be central in the conversations about them as their experiences of trafficking remain valuable to this discuss. It was noted that the continuous top to bottom approach to victim support is excluding and often does not respond to the immediate needs of the victims. An equitable response to victim support must recognise the voices an experience of the victims.

Logistically, the event was planned as a blended event. To allow participants join either online via Zoom or to attend in-person venue- the Yar Adua Event Centre Abuja. In Nepal the event was hosted in two venues, Ageno the Hestia, and Siddhartha View Hotel.

The seamless delivery on the technical aspect of handling a cross-national event of this magnitude across three distinct nations-Nepal, Nigeria and the UK, was coordinated by Apex media, Nigeria.

On Thursday 21st July 2022, a follow up event too place at the Yar Adua Centre and also online via zoom. Present to give real life stories where Victims of human trafficking. At the end of the meeting, A 10 man committee was initiated to continue the fight against human trafficking, take steps to investigate and prevent trafficking and raise more awareness about human trafficking.