NCJ Number
220863
Journal
Crime & Justice International Volume: 23 Issue: 100 Dated: September-October 2007 Pages: 4-12
Date Published
September 2007
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This paper examines the features of the human smuggling/trafficking of women sex workers from Nigeria to Europe.
Abstract
The majority of the women being trafficked have been from farms and/or small-scale marketer families in rural settings of Nigeria. The socioeconomic condition of Nigeria (unemployment, poverty, and overpopulation) is the main cause of the trafficking. The steadily increasing demand for cheap labor and services, especially sexual services, creates the demand in the destination countries of Europe. In addition to national legislation that targets trafficking enterprises in Nigeria and European countries, international cooperation must be strengthened. Regional and international study groups should meet regularly to share information on effective practices. A multipronged strategy of prevention and enforcement should include public information campaigns in Nigeria and Europe regarding the realities of the adverse conditions under which trafficked women live. Improved education and economic opportunities for women in Nigeria would address the conditions that foster trafficking, and media attention to the problem in European countries could help to reduce the demand for and profits of trafficking in sex workers. According to Uzoma (2005), the transportation of Nigerian women abroad for the purpose of working in the sex industry began in the mid-1980s and has expanded to become a multimillion-dollar industry. It has attracted new organized crime groups that have built massive networks in Nigerian cities. These smuggling/trafficking operations went relatively unnoticed until 1996, when it became apparent that there were a significant number of Nigerian women being trafficked into Europe for prostitution and slave labor. The destination countries were primarily Italy, Belgium, Holland, Spain, France, and Germany. Information for this paper was obtained from official sources, scholars, civic organizations, and reliable media sources. 36 references