Thousands of Nigerian migrants forced into prostitution in Italy

Thousands of Nigerian migrants are forced into prostitution yearly in Italy, according to the Director-General of Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dame Julie Okah-Donli.

The NAPTIP boss attributed the figure to research done by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) while delivering a lecture called “Mass exodus of youths and national development: A case of Nigeria-Libya-Europe migration trend” at an event in Delta State, Nigeria.

Okah-Donli disclosed that those forced to work as prostitutes in Italy are mainly victims of human trafficking and that Edo, Kano and Delta States are the top three sources of trafficking from Nigeria.

“Delta State ranks third among source states of victims of human trafficking after Edo and Kano states. The task of ensuring adequate protection of our children from trafficking and illegal migration rests on all of us; we must all rise up to support initiatives and efforts geared at making our country safe.

The Governor of Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, was in attendance and expressed his dismay about the ranking of the state as the third highest source of irregular migration and human trafficking in Nigeria.

He called for a joint effort in checking the menace of irregular migration and human trafficking in the state. “We must think together and work together to check human trafficking in Nigeria. How can one spend so much money to go to war-torn Libya or go to Mali? Most of those trafficked are never made to know their true destinations, some people are even trafficked for their organs to be harvested or used for money rituals.”

TMP – 08/31/2018

Photo Source: www.pulse.ng. A Nigerian prostitute in Italy.