EDGES MAGAZINE Issue 38

Jul 2004

   
Sylvia was 17 years old when she was trafficked from Nigeria to Italy. She was offered the chance to study in Europe, and despite her father's concerns, she decided to go. Her trafficker paid for her travel, and she agreed to pay him back once she finished her studies. Sylvia was taken to Italy, via Hungary and Austria. The journey took over a month, and the trafficker reassured her that he was finalising arrangements for her arrival in Italy. But when they reached their destination, the trafficker took her passport, and sold her to a madam for US$10,000.

She was forced to work as a prostitute for one and a half years, and her madam demanded she hand over all her earnings. She faced constant threats and violence if she did not make the required daily earnings. While working on the street she was approached by police, who asked to see her papers. Her madam had failed to supply her with the correct visa, so she was detained and told that she would be deported on the next available flight to Nigeria. The police made no attempt to find out if Sylvia was a victim of trafficking.

Due to an agreement of readmission between Nigerian and Italian Governments, police in Italy are authorised to deport Nigerian nationals within 48 hours if they have overstayed their visa, or do not have valid identity papers. This policy sees many Nigerian women who have been trafficked into Italy, sent home without any form of support or protection.

Back in Nigeria, Sylvia was detained, interviewed and fingerprinted. She also had to undergo a compulsory test for HIV/AIDS. Once the authorities had the information they wanted, they left her to find her own way home, providing no protection for her or her family.

It didn't take long for the agent who had arranged her travel, to hear of her return. He visited the family, threatening to kill Sylvia and her family if she did not repay the outstanding debt. Many women face reprisals from traffickers if they are returned to Nigeria, but the police do nothing to provide protection, nor do they take steps to prevent the women from being re-trafficked.

Due to the on-going threats from the agent, Sylvia felt she had to find a way of repaying the debt. In order to protect her family, she agreed to be re-trafficked into Europe, it was her only chance of earning the money the agent demanded.

Printed by kind permission of Anti-Slavery International www.antislavery.org
 

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