Britain was on Friday, urged to step up its efforts to protect girls and young women from Nigeria becoming victims of trafficking and slavery in the light of research published by a London charity.
Plan International UK said the impact of militant group Boko Haram — which has subjected large numbers of young women to abuse and forced marriage — was combining with poverty and unemployment to push women and girls into the hands of traffickers.
Some are being moved abroad, including to Britain, to be exploited, while others are being trafficked internally and subjected to mistreatment including “sexual abuse and violence”, domestic servitude and forced labour.
The charity added that baby factory — in which women “are forced or persuaded to become pregnant and give up their babies for sale” — was another problem “gaining attention” with “threats, coercion, abuse and violence” reported by survivors.
The research will reinforce concern about the problems of trafficking and modern slavery in Nigeria and the fate of victims both there and in Europe.
Cases in Britain include a Nigerian girl trafficked aged nine after being sold by a relative for £3,000 and used as a domestic slave by a couple in south London for six years. She was subjected to beatings, sexual harassment and “juju” witchcraft threats and was gang-raped at the age of 13 by a group of boys known to her female enslaver, who forced her to have an abortion after becoming pregnant as a result.
In another case, London-based nurse Josephine Iyamu used “voodoo” threats to traffic women from Nigeria to Germany to work as prostitutes. She was convicted last year of sex trafficking offences for which she was given an 18-year prison sentence.
The research indicates that large numbers of women in Nigeria remain at risk of similar exploitation and quotes figures from the International Organisation for Migration showing that some victims being trafficked are under the age of 10.
More than eight out of 10 of those aged between 19 and 24 were trafficked for sexual exploitation. Destination countries named include Ireland, France, Spain, Switzerland, Britain, Malaysia, Egypt, and Ecuador.
Rose Caldwell, chief executive of Plan International UK, said the findings showed that Britain and other countries, including Nigeria, needed to strengthen their efforts to prevent women and girls from being victimized.
She added: “Conflict, violence, poverty and limited access to basic services and employment are forcing girls to migrate through dangerous routes, with many deceived or coerced into exploitative situations.
“The Government needs to reduce vulnerability to human trafficking, including continuing to keep girls in school. – London Evening Standard.
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