A/HRC/41/46/Add.1 47. However, after visiting the shelter in Abuja, the Special Rapporteur is extremely concerned that these are “closed shelters”, infringing on the freedom of movement of survivors, who also face limitations in terms of access to health care and education, as they often have to be accompanied to school or hospital by a social worker. That approach also perpetuates the false assumption that victims of trafficking have to be locked up for their own security, even though they have not committed a crime. In that regard, the Special Rapporteur stresses that shelters managed by civil society organizations are open and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons itself refers victims to such shelters after the permitted six-week period of stay in its own shelters has expired. This shows that operating open shelters for victims of trafficking with the necessary security guarantees in place is possible. On the other hand, sheltering survivors of trafficking for six weeks, as is the case for the Agency shelters, is a very short period compared to the intensive counselling required to ensure their rehabilitation. Survivors who decided to share their painful experience with the Special Rapporteur reported suffering long-term posttraumatic stress disorder and depression and only starting to recover five years after their traumatic trafficking experience. They also complained that they often received only shortterm counselling from Agency social workers and no long-term psychosocial support, which is often necessary for proper healing from the trauma caused by trafficking. In particular, they reported a lack of coordination and standard operating procedures between the Agency and public health-care services, such as the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, despite its psychiatric unit being reportedly free of charge. 48. In addition, a lack of sufficient resources to manage and maintain shelters run by the Agency has had detrimental consequences for the quality of the services provided, in particular with regard to the social reintegration of trafficked victims. For instance, the Special Rapporteur heard that an assessment by a civil society organization of the Agency shelter in Borno State in June 2018 found that the facility was empty, despite being overcrowded in the past, and that the staff were poorly trained in protection measures for victims, who were often sent back to camps for internally displaced persons or onto the streets, where they were at risk of being retrafficked. 49. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the good cooperation between the Agency and civil society organizations in providing accommodation, psychosocial support and assistance to victims. However, under article 6 of the Trafficking in Persons Protocol, the primary responsibility lies with the State: the mere fact that a specialized government agency relies on the work of civil society organizations for the long-term protection of and assistance to victims of trafficking clearly shows the need for appropriate sustained funding of civil society organizations by government authorities. 50. The Special Rapporteur was very impressed by the role that civil society organizations have played in the fight against trafficking in Nigeria. With extremely limited funds, they have been operating shelters and providing psychosocial, medical, legal and material assistance to survivors of trafficking, including returnees from Libya and other countries. However, they often work in isolation and their efforts have been frustrated as a consequence of the generally short-term vision of policymakers both in Nigeria and abroad. The Special Rapporteur was taken aback to learn that the Government, while valuing the contribution of civil society organizations to its anti-trafficking work, has not been providing any financial support to ensure the sustainability of that contribution. Civil society organizations have had to scramble for funding from private entities and international donors. Cooperation with such organizations must be seen as a thoroughly desirable response to trafficking, whereby State institutions benefit from their expertise and flexibility and civil society organizations in turn are given the means for solid long-term planning, which will eventually lead to alternative and sustainable programmes for people vulnerable to trafficking. 51. The Special Rapporteur also notes that in Abuja and Lagos, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has been mandated to provide assistance both to victims of trafficking under the 2015 Trafficking in Persons Act and to victims of other forms of abuse covered by the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act of 2015. In that regard, while visiting the Agency shelter in Abuja, she noted that of 43 persons and four babies being accommodated, only three or four were victims of trafficking. The Agency, in 10