The Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) is pleased to announce the signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), marking a major milestone in advancing disability-inclusive protection systems in Nigeria.
This strategic partnership reinforces a shared commitment to strengthening prevention, protection, referral, rehabilitation, and survivor support systems for persons with disabilities, particularly those at heightened risk of trafficking, exploitation, violence, abuse, and gender-based violence (GBV).
The signing of this MoU comes at a critical time as Nigeria continues to strengthen its commitments to addressing violence, exploitation, and harmful practices through national and international frameworks. The Federal Government of Nigeria remains a signatory to several important instruments and commitments, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons (Palermo Protocol), the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Maputo Protocol, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goals 5, 10, and 16. At the national level, Nigeria has further demonstrated commitment through the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP Act) 2015, the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018, the Child Rights Act, and national gender and protection frameworks aimed at strengthening inclusive safeguarding systems.
Despite these commitments, persons with disabilities, especially women, girls, children, and individuals with multiple vulnerabilities, continue to face disproportionate risks of trafficking, sexual violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation, and systemic barriers to accessing justice and protection services. Many protection systems remain inaccessible due to communication, mobility, attitudinal, and institutional barriers.
Through this MoU, JONAPWD and NAPTIP will work collaboratively to close these gaps and ensure that disability inclusion is systematically integrated into anti-trafficking and protection systems nationwide. The partnership will support stronger disability-responsive prevention mechanisms, improve access to survivor-centred protection services, strengthen institutional capacity for inclusive case management, and establish more accessible referral and response pathways for survivors with disabilities.
This collaboration also aligns with JONAPWD’s broader commitment to strengthening disability-inclusive Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention and response pathways across Nigeria. In recent years, JONAPWD has made significant efforts to build stronger protection and safeguarding systems by promoting disability-inclusive referral pathways, strengthening coordination with service providers, supporting survivor-centred case response, and improving institutional responsiveness to violence, abuse, and exploitation affecting persons with disabilities. These efforts are helping to ensure that persons with disabilities can access safe reporting channels, psychosocial support, legal aid, rehabilitation services, and justice systems without discrimination or barriers.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Binta Lami Adamu Bello, Director-General of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to promoting disability inclusion across its programmes and interventions. She emphasized that trafficking, exploitation, and violence can affect anyone, including persons with disabilities, and stressed the need for stronger collaboration to prevent trafficking, improve rehabilitation and counselling services, and enhance community awareness and protection systems.
In her remarks, Ene Ede, Board Chairperson of Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, expressed deep appreciation to the Director-General and the NAPTIP team for their commitment to disability inclusion. She described the MoU as a historic step toward strengthening protection mechanisms for persons with disabilities and deepening collaboration to build more responsive, accessible, and survivor-centred systems across Nigeria.
This landmark partnership represents more than an institutional agreement; it signals a strong national commitment toward building a safer, more inclusive, and protective society where persons with disabilities can access justice, protection, dignity, and support without barriers. JONAPWD remains committed to working with government institutions, development partners, civil society, and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) to ensure that no person with disability is left behind in Nigeria’s protection and safeguarding systems.
