A/HRC/41/46/Add.1 National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, including by addressing its root causes, through its Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Division. Identification of victims or potential victims of trafficking 42. The Special Rapporteur recognizes the positive development of establishing a federal specialized agency in the country and a related formal referral system. However, in practice, the fact that only the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons is designated with the power of identification of victims can be a limitation, if effective coordination between border control guards, law enforcement agents and other relevant stakeholders is not strengthened. Lack of funding has also been identified as a major challenge in ensuring efficient coordination between the Agency and service providers. In addition, the absence of a national database and a poor national identity system further hamper the identification of victims. A lack of standard operating procedures, corruption among border guards and a lack of political will and government funding to recover, empower and rehabilitate victims also represent obstacles to the identification of and support for trafficked persons. 43. The displacement affecting the north-eastern and other parts of the country has also exponentially increased the vulnerability of the affected populations to a number of risks, including the risks of exploitation and trafficking. While the Special Rapporteur did not visit areas affected by displacement, all her interlocutors acknowledged that anti-trafficking responses have so far been insufficient from both the Government and the international community, despite the fact that internally displaced persons are at heightened risk of being trafficked, owing to the inherent vulnerabilities attached to their status. It has been reported that victims of trafficking are not being appropriately screened and identified but receive the same services as internally displaced persons living in camps and host communities. More training on screening and identification and on the special needs of trafficking victims is needed. That is also related to the fact that women and children forcibly recruited by Boko Haram for the purposes of sexual exploitation, child labour and forced fighting are not considered as victims of trafficking by government officials. While acknowledging the practical challenges related to such identification, especially in areas in which radicalization has been promoted by Boko Haram, the Special Rapporteur notes that increased joint efforts are needed to promptly identify victims of trafficking, especially children, and refer them to appropriate protection services. 44. It has also been reported that boys and young men forcibly recruited by Boko Haram and rescued by the Nigerian army are very difficult to access and protect, as they remain with the military for a period of deradicalization. No service provider interviewed by civil society organizations with whom the Special Rapporteur met was able to explain this process, nor when or how such boys and men are reintegrated back into their communities. The Special Rapporteur reiterates that children abducted and exploited by Boko Haram are deeply traumatized and need specialized rehabilitation after they escape or are liberated from Boko Haram by the Nigerian military. Their detention in appalling conditions, which has been reported by civil society organizations, constitutes a violation of children’s rights and should be avoided at all times (see A/HRC/32/32/Add.2, paras. 46–48). 45. Despite recognition of existing vulnerabilities and the high risk of both sexual and labour exploitation, a lack of identification of trafficking cases among the internally displaced population, especially in host communities, has also been reported by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons. Services provided to victims 46. The Special Rapporteur notes with appreciation the efforts made by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons in setting up 10 shelters in Abuja, Lagos, Benin City, Uyo, Enugu, Kano, Maiduguri, Makurdi and Osogbo, and in establishing a dedicated team of social workers in charge of psychosocial support and the reintegration of victims. She is also pleased to note that since 2004, the Agency has rescued 11,529 victims of trafficking and received and counselled a total of 13,186 persons, of whom 1,890 in 2017 and 826 in 2018. 9