Global Journal of Human-Social Science, A: Arts and Humanities, Volume 22 Issue 4

A Content Analysis of Newspapers’ Coverage of Human Trafficking in Nigeria Josephine Osatohanmwen Adeyeye α & Chamberlain Chinsom Egbulefu σ Abstract- Trafficking in human beings has become a universal problem that affects every single nation. This have become an issue of concern for many international and national organizations, government and interest groups with political, social and economic consequences. Despite the increasing body of research on the coverage of human trafficking by the media, there is paucity of study on how human trafficking stories are covered within the Nigerian context. The objectives, therefore, are to: find out the frequency of newspaper coverage given to human trafficking stories by the selected newspapers; the prominence accorded to the reports on human trafficking; the patterns of coverage used to sensitize the society about the ills of human trafficking; identify the dominant form of human trafficking. Two national newspapers and one regional newspaper ( Vanguard , The Guardian, and the Nigerian Observer ) are purposively selected and analyzed using content analysis. The period under study spanned September 1, 2016 to August 31, 2017, with a sample of 180 selected using composite week sampling procedure. The code sheet form the research instruments used for the study. Findings revealed that Nigerian newspapers did not give significant attention to the issue of human trafficking due to low frequency in their news coverage; prominence given to human trafficking matters on the lead pages of the newspapers is extremely low when compared to the value given to other issues reported within the same period; 88% of the genre used in the report is straight news and with child trafficking as the dominant form of human trafficking reported. Based on these findings, the study recommends, among others, that the media should draw more attention to the dangers of human trafficking by increasing the level of their reports on the issue. I. I ntroduction rafficking in human beings has become a universal problem that affects every single nation and constitutes a grave human rights violation. Conservative estimates indicate that well over 20 million persons globally have been affected directly and indirectly (Atkinson, Curnin & Hanson, 2016). Also, Atkinson, et.al , (2016) reported that this crime births trauma that is diverse in forms to its victims and identified both immediate and long-term physical and psychological harm to its sufferers. The United Nations (as cited in Smith, 2019) defined trafficking in persons as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercions, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of the position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or removal of organs. Human trafficking is also relatively portrayed or defined as the criminality of trading in human beings, human exploitation, abuse of the soul and body, violation of fundamental human rights, trade of human organs, organized crimes, and the like. The activities of human trafficking are constantly evolving and changing. At present, it is one of the wildest and rapidly advancing forms of organized criminality worldwide (Uchem, 2008). In the view of Allais (2006) trafficking in human beings is one of the biggest revenue making avenues for planned delinquency in Africa and evidence submits that practically no nation-state of the continent is exempt from this trade in human beings as all African States are affected, involved either as nation-states of origin, transit and or destination. In some scenarios, some states are an aggregation of three dimensions of involvement. It is noteworthy to mention that this trade in humans has been given a boost by borderless developments like the internet, the globalized economy, and the global systems for mobile communication (GSM), which have internationalized human trafficking through the provision of information about sources and demand for slaves. Olube (2015) also asserted that human trafficking- related activities are either directly or indirectly conducted and span from delicate unsuspecting practices, and methods using platforms such as organized brothels, sex tour arrangements, human trading networks and syndication, involuntary marriage arrangements and cases of bonded labour (p. 20). Nigeria with population of over 170 million was named one of the top eight countries of origin or human trafficking and is one of the leading African countries in human trafficking with substantial cross- border and internal trafficking (UNODC, 2006). The historical antecedent of human trafficking in Nigeria had been examined by scholars and researchers linking the phenomenon of human trafficking to the Structural T © 2022 Global Journals Volume XXII Issue IV Version I 21 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 A 47 Author α : Department of Mass Communication, Benson Idahosa University, Edo State, Nigeria. e-mail: jenobakhare@biu.edu.ng Author σ : (Ph.D), Department of Mass Communication, Benson Idahosa University, Edo State, Nigeria.