23 Copyright © Canadian Research & Development Center of Sciences and Cultures ISSN 1927-0232 [Print] ISSN 1927-0240 [Online] www.cscanada.net www.cscanada.org Higher Education of Social Science Vol. 21, No. 1, 2021, pp. 23-30 DOI:10.3968/12266 Women Trafcking, a Humanitarian Cancer in Edo State: A Profling Survey of Factors From Non-Governmental Perspective Tohebat Abiola Azeez [a],* ; Gbeminiyi Kazeem Ogunbela [b] [a] Department of Public Administration, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. [b] Department of Public Administration, Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, Nigeria. * Corresponding author. Received 21 June 2021; accepted 15 August 2021 Published online 26 September 2021 Abstract The Palermo Protocol established human trafficking (including women trafficking) as a global humanitarian crisis, as well, proposed the scope of intervention to include collaborative non-governmental networks. In Nigeria context, activities of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in one of the Nigerian hotbed states of women trafficking, Edo State, are more pronounced especially in the area of reintegration and rehabilitation. Despite these interventions, activities of women trafckers have not been significantly curtailed, in view of this, it was assumed that relevant NGOs in the state might be treating symptoms instead of causes of the scourge. An exploratory descriptive study was conducted to re-profle factors enhancing the hydra-headedness of the menace in the state. Data were collected from 129 feld operators of relevant anti-women trafficking NGOs selected from the capital city of the state, Benin City. Factors identifed as drivers of women trafficking in the state include but not limited to poverty, weak institutions, easy access to internet, globalisation, and greediness of victim’s family. In the end, it sufces that fnding lasting solution is more to addressing the women exploitation in state, it goes beyond reintegrating and rehabilitating victim of women trafcking. Government at all level should redesign their approach to favour social and economic policies as the key instruments of state intervention against women trafcking. Key words: Women Trafficking; Edo; Non- governmental networks; Factors; Palermo protocol Azeez, T. b., & Ogunbela, G. K. (2021). Women Trafficking, a Humanitarian Cancer in Edo State: A Profiling Survey of Factors from Non-Governmental Perspective. Higher Education of Social Science, 21 (1), 23-30. Available from: URL: http://www.cscanada.net/index.php/hess/article/view/12266 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/12266 INTRODUCTION The attainment of globalization and information age, no doubt have produced series of desirable and undesirable realities in the world. On a good note, globalization enhanced communications and economic growth as the world becomes one global village where businesses are conducted freely. Just like a coin with two sides, the world today also battles with a number of criminal activities such as illicit transfer of fund, global terrorism, internet fraud, illegal dealings and transfer of arms and human trafficking (Human Right Watch, 2019). Human trafcking continues to resonate at national, regional and international conferences across countries, according to Iroanya (2018) human trafficking is a social issue that penetrates countries irrespective of boundaries or level of development. According to 2016 Global Slavery Index over 45.8 million individuals across the globe are currently enslaved. An estimate of 6.25 million individuals is enslaved in Sub-Sahara Africa. This makes up to 13.6% of the total global population of modern slavery. Nigeria is ranked number 23 in the world’s modern slavery with an estimate of 875,000 people enslaved which is 0.48% of the population (Global Slavery Index, 2016). Human trafficking is a major predicament in Nigeria. Humans are trafcked within and outside the shore of the country for various purposes such as forced labour, forced prostitution, organs implantation among others. From international response context, the popular Palermo Protocol preached collaboration between