Welcome • Sponsors • Conference Schedule •Panelist Handbook • Abstracts and Bios • Contact Us

Abstracts and Bios

Trafficking in Women from Africa to Europe

Nwando Joy Obika, Solicitor General, Ministry of Justice, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria
njobika@yahoo.com

Ogochukwu Abiakam, Ministry of Justice, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria

The Western European prostitution market has become increasingly globalized during the past 20 years. The processes by which Eastern European, Southeast Asian, Latin American, and Sub-Saharan African women end up as sex workers in Western Europe are highly varied. The largest group of prostitutes comes from Sub-Saharan Africa, and they are usually recruited through a specific type of trafficking network. The term "trafficking in persons" is restricted to instances where people are deceived, threatened, or coerced into situations of exploitation, including prostitution. This is in contrast with "human smuggling," in which a migrant purchases services to circumvent immigration restrictions, but is not necessarily a victim of deception or exploitation. Trafficking in women often takes place within a broader context of migration, which is often fueled by the combination of widespread emigration aspirations and severely limited possibilities for migrating to Europe or the United States.
In context, this paper exemplified the widespread trafficking in women and children within West Africa as well as to overseas locations, using Nigeria as a case study. The following points were highlighted: the Nigerian Setting as a case study; how trafficking from Nigeria to Europe-Italy was organized; the emigration pact; routes and strategies; conclusion.