The trafficking of Nigerian women from Libya to Italy by boat is
reaching “crisis” levels, with traffickers using migrant reception
centres as holding pens for women who are then collected and forced into
prostitution across Europe, the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) warns.
According to IOM, about 3,600 Nigerian women arrived by boat into
Italy in the first six months of this year, almost double the number who
were
registered in the same time period last year. More than 80% of these
women will be trafficked into prostitution in Italy and across Europe,
it says.
"What we have seen this year is a crisis, it is absolutely
unprecedented and is the most significant increase in the number of
Nigerian women arriving in Italy for 10 years," said Simona Moscarelli,
anti-trafficking expert at the IOM.
"Our indicators are the majority of these women are being
deliberately brought in for sexual exploitation purposes. There has been
a big enhancement of criminal gangs and trafficking networks engaging
in the sexual exploitation of younger and younger Nigerian girls."
Although a thriving sex trafficking industry has been operating
between Nigeria and Italy for over three decades, there has been a
marked increase in
the numbers of unaccompanied Nigerian women arriving in Italy on migrant
boats from Libya. In 2014, about 1,500 Nigerian women arrived by sea.
In 2015 this figure had increased to 5,633.
"Already we have seen nearly 4,000 women come in the first six months
of this year. We are expecting the numbers to have
increased again by the end of this year." said Moscarelli.
She warned that the current policy of placing Nigerian women in
reception centres along with thousands of other migrants was playing to
the traffickers’ advantage, with women regularly going missing.
"There is little understanding of the dynamics and nature of this
form of trafficking,” said Moscarelli. "The reception centres are not
good places for trafficked women. Just
last week six girls went missing from a reception centre in Sicily,
they were just picked up in a car and driven away."
Nigerian women who are entering Italy among migrants on boats from
Libya should be immediately identified and treated as trafficking
victims. Instead of being processed in reception centres, they should be
placed in specialist shelters where they can be given the advice and
support needed to break the chain of sexual exploitation, she said.
"Most Nigerian women who arrive in Italy are already victims of
trafficking, many have been subjected to serious sexual exploitation on
their journey. Many are forced into prostitution in Libya," said
Moscarelli.
"The women we are seeing are increasingly young, many are
unaccompanied minors when they arrive and the violence and exploitation
they face when they are under the control of these gangs is getting
worse. They are really treated like slaves."
Salvatore Vella, the deputy chief prosecutor in Agrigento, Sicily,
who led the first significant investigation of Nigerian trafficking
rings in Italy in 2014, said that the reception centres are increasingly
being used as pick-up points by those intending to exploit Nigerian
women.The Nigerian women are given a phone number when they leave Nigeria,
which they use to inform a contact in Italy that they have arrived
"The
mobsters just come to the camp and pick [women] up. As easy as going to
a grocery store. That’s what these women are
treated like, objects to trade, buy, exploit and resell and the
reception centres are acting as a sort of warehouse where these girls
are temporarily stocked. They wait until the woman has her residence
permit or refugee status document and then they just go and pick her
up."
Many Nigerian women arrive in Italy with debts of about £40,000 for
their journey from Nigeria to Italy, which they are expected to pay
back. Nigerian trafficking gangs use a toxic mix of false promises of
legitimate employment and traditional “juju” ceremonies to recruit and
gain psychological control over their victims.
The women are led to believe that terrible things will happen to
their families if they fail to honour their debts. They are then forced
into prostitution on streets and brothels across Europe.
"Currently the shelters and services we have for those women we
manage to identify are at breaking point," said Moscarelli. "We must
give police prosecutors the financial resources to tackle
the traffickers and improve access to legal services if we have any
chance of reducing the numbers coming in."
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