Human rights activist, Tim Braimah has condemned the recent public parade of 29 suspected sex workers in Benin City by the Edo State Migration Agency (EDMA), describing it as “harmful, misguided, and counterproductive in the fight against trafficking and exploitation.”
Braimah argued that the parade amounted to “persecution, not policy,” stressing that “global research consistently shows public shaming neither reduces prostitution nor curbs trafficking, instead, it deepens stigma, drives sex work underground, and heightens the risks of violence and exploitation.”
Citing studies published in The Open Public Health Journal and Sexuality Research and Social Policy, Braimah noted that stigmatised sex workers face significant barriers to healthcare, are less likely to report crimes, and often encounter victim-blaming when they do.
“One of the fundamental flaws in EDMA’s approach,” he said, “is the failure to distinguish between consensual sex work and the crime of human trafficking. Trafficking is coercive and criminal, while sex work is often an act of survival in the face of economic hardship. By conflating the two, the state has misdiagnosed the problem and applied the wrong solution — a case of round pegs in square holes.”
He described the public parade as a “dangerous spectacle” far removed from global best practices and urged the Edo State government to adopt evidence-based measures that respect human dignity.
However, it is recommended to decriminalise and destigmatise sex work to improve safety and reporting frameworks; invest in rehabilitation and economic empowerment programmes; implement transparent oversight mechanisms to address extortion claims; and actively engage civil society and survivors in policy development.
“If Edo State truly seeks to combat trafficking, it must choose evidence over emotion, dignity over disgrace, and solutions that empower rather than punish,” Braimah declared.
