Abstract:
West African sub-region has witnessed continued spate of cross-border crimes ranging from human trafficking, arms trafficking, drug trafficking, armed robbery on the highways ,smuggling of various types-petroleum products, cars, cigarettes and other items .Human trafficking is one of the cross border crimes that has taken its toll on West Africa. The objective of this paper is to critically the causes of human trafficking and its implications on West African sub-region. The Framework of analysis adopted in this work is systemic theory. The position of this theory is that reason(s) for any social conflict lie in the social context within which it occurs. The methodology is documentary records-Textbooks, Newspapers, Magazines, Journals, etc usually referred to as secondary sources of data collection .While content analysis was adopted in analyzing the data generated. The causes of causes of human trafficking includes: poverty, globalization. Unemployment, gender based violence, conflicts, while the implications include among others economic implication, social implication, political implication etc. ECOWAS should as a matter of urgency synergize, collaborate and coordinate their activities in order to stamp out this ugly monster in the sub-region. The national governments should address the issue of poverty and unemployment and make education available and affordable at all levels. Corruption is a major issue in governance in West Africa therefore ECOWAS should ensure that corruption is tackled with all seriousness.
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